OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – There will be a little something extra in the drinking water in Oshkosh, but city officials say it’s what’s best for the long-term quality of the water.
As city officials do $13.5 million worth of repairs and replacements to the ozone system at the city’s water filtration plant, they said that they’ll have to shift to using chlorine as the primary method they use to disinfect the city’s drinking water.
Before this project, the city had used trace amounts of chlorine to supplement its ozone system when it filtered drinking water for residents.
“Absolutely, the drinking water will remain safe, tested, and in compliance with all our regulatory requirements for drinking water,” said the city of Oshkosh’s director of public works James Rabe.
While officials replace the filtration plant’s ozone system, Rabe said residents may notice that their water tastes and smells more like chlorine. He said the water will have 3.0-3.75 mg/L of chlorine.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, they consider anything under 4.0 mg/L as a safe level.
Rabe said there’s a full-service, state-certified water testing laboratory at the water filtration plant. He said people test the water multiple times per day.
In Oshkosh, most of the residents get their drinking water from Lake Winnebago.
“Getting this ozone replaced and upgraded to new equipment is absolutely the right thing to do for the long-term good of the water utility and our water quality,” Rabe said.
He said residents may start to notice the extra chlorine taste and smell in the water on Monday. He stressed that this is temporary and should only take a couple of weeks.
If you have questions regarding this project and the temporary shutdown of the ozone system, please contact the Department of Public Works at 920-236-5065.
For general questions regarding drinking water quality, contact the Water Filtration Plant at 920-236-5165.
Oshkosh resident Eric Wallace said even before this happened, the taste of the water in Oshkosh wasn’t very good. Again, the city had used small amounts of chlorine to supplement its ozone system prior to this project.
“Kind of like a chlorine smell, almost a pungent garlic smell,” he said. “I would never describe the water as tasting great.”
Wallace said he normally doesn’t drink water directly from the tap, preferring to drink water that has been filtered through his fridge or drink bottled water.
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“For sure going to replace that filter in my fridge just so I have a fresh filter in there to get rid of the extra chlorine taste and if need be I know they said you can put the water in a pitcher and let it sit for awhile (to get rid of the chlorine),” he said.
Wallace said he feels for the people in Oshkosh who don’t have access to filtration systems or can’t afford bottled water. The city of Oshkosh did offer several things people can try if the chlorine smell/taste becomes too much for them over the next few weeks.
- Utilize a filter such as an activated carbon filter to remove residual chlorine.
- Pour water into a glass or pitcher and wait 15 – 20 minutes to evaporate chlorine.
- Boil water for 15 minutes to evaporate chlorine.
