County begins task of flushing water lines

To maintain high quality in the county’s water distribution system, the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department will temporarily modify the disinfection process used to treat drinking water.

The county will be using a somewhat stronger disinfection process to produce chlorine residual instead of a chloramine residual through July 14.

The county will also increase hydrant flushing during this time. This is a preventative maintenance process.

Customers served by the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department may notice a slight chlorine taste or odor in their tap water during this period. These temporary conditions will not cause adverse health effects.

For those particularly sensitive to the taste or odor of chlorine, keep an open container of drinking water in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

Users of home dialysis machines, owners of tropical fish and managers of stores and restaurants with fish and shellfish holding tanks are advised to seek professional advice as the method for removing chlorine residuals differs from removing chloramine residuals from tap water.

For additional information, call the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department at (561) 740-4600, option #3.