Disinfection is a critical part of water treatment to keep water safe. During NTMWD’s normal water treatment processes, disinfection is a two-step process. First, it treats the water at the plant and adds disinfectant to maintain water quality as it travels long distances through pipes to homes and businesses. Both steps are needed to keep tap water free of harmful microorganisms, such as parasites and viruses.

NTMWD uses a combination of ozone and free chlorine (first step) to disinfect water at the treatment plant and then adds chloramine, which is chlorine + ammonia (second step), before leaving the plant. This maintains required water disinfection levels from the time it leaves the treatment plant all the way to your tap. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ): “Treatment prior to distribution may utilize a number of different disinfectants, but a public water system is required to use either chlorine or chloramine in the distribution system.”

TEMPORARY CHANGE IN DISINFECTION
(ALSO KNOWN AS ANNUAL CHLORINE MAINTENANCE)