Notice to Rural Water District # 3 Customers,
The Rural Water District 3 with the City of Holton via the Public Wholesale Distribution Plant # 18 will be conducting a free chlorine burnout of the distribution system from mid July through September 2026.
We perform this free chlorine burn out annually of our potable water distribution system, as well as line flushing, to maintain the integrity of the finished water supplied to our customers. It is not uncommon during this burnout process for customers to notice a chlorine smell and/or taste. The water remains safe for consumption this entire time.
This process is performed to maintain water quality. If this maintenance is not performed in the water distribution system, the water will eventually lose all of its disinfection residual, which can cause water quality to degrade.
Throughout the duration of the burnout, the water disinfection process is changed from chloramines to free chlorine, which is a stronger and faster-acting disinfectant. Flushing and chlorine burnouts are routine distribution system maintenance conducted by utilities with chloramine disinfection.
There are two common types of chlorine used in water treatment for disinfection purposes: Combined chlorine (chloramines) and free chlorine. Chloramines are created by combining free chlorine with free ammonia. A benefit of using chloramines is that they will retain disinfection residual longer in the distribution system and they do not promote a chlorine taste and/or smell in the water. However, chloramines are not as strong of a disinfectant as free chlorine and it can allow certain types of bacteria to grow in the distribution system.
The natural occurring bacteria feed on the ammonia found in our finished water. These bacteria are nonpathogenic and are of no health concern. Nitrifying bacteria, which naturally grow in any distribution system when using chloramines, can become prolific in warm sunny temperatures. They will eventually cause water quality to degrade in the warmer summer months.
This is why water utilities across the nation perform an annual free chlorine burnout. The term burnout is used because free chlorine is a much more powerful disinfectant than chloramines. Free chlorine oxidizes nitrifying bacteria and keep it in check.
Flushing of lines is done to help remove sediment from the pipes and facilitate the change in disinfectant. At the end of the burnout, chloramines will be re-introduced and the system will return to normal operation, at which time any chlorine smell and/or taste should subside.
If you should have any questions about any of this please feel free to call the office Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 364-3056 and speak with Brenda or Linda.
Please note change of RWD # 3 board meeting day. Effective in the month of May 2026, the RWD # 3 board meetings will be held on the third Tuesday of each month starting at 5:30 p.m. at the maintenance shop location which is 25261 Q 4 Road. Previously our meetings had been held on the third Monday night of each month. If you have any questions please call the office at 364-3056 and speak with Brenda. Thank You.
RWD # 3 Customers: The water operators will be placing blue flags at your water meters. Please do not remove them or mow over them. They are used in the winter months for us to be able to find the meters when snow is piled up on them so they can be read and/or changed out to the new radio read meters. These blue flags help us out a lot. Any questions about this call the office at 785-364-3056 and speak with Brenda or Linda about this. Thank you for your time and your cooperation.
Jackson County, Kansas - Rural Water District No. 3 is a non-profit quasi municaplity. We have eight water towers in our district with a combined storage of 1,632,000 gallons of water. We have over 510 miles of pipeline in the ground and presently 2,012 water customers throughout five counties, six cities, and the Prairie Band Potawatomi reservation. RWD #3 has ground water sources from seven wells, and our primary source of water is from the Banner Creek Lake, located west of Holton. We also have water connections established as back up water supplies with Nemaha RWD # 4, and Jackson County RWD # 1. RWD #3 and the City of Holton are joint equal partners in Public Wholesale No. 18. We sell between 12-19 million gallons each month to all of our customers combined.
Sign up for our FREE auto debit payment option that comes out of your checking account once per month on the 15th day and never have to worry about being late again with your water payment or incurring any late fees (at 10% of the total balance due) or being subject to shut off. If shut off is done $200.00 is added to the total balance due on the account. Easy to sign up. We just need a one page form filled out and a voided check. Ask about this option today and we will gladly get you signed up.
Also kindly provide us with your current email address and we will EMAIL you the monthly water bill statement for faster delivery. This also helps to control overall costs for the water district by saving on envelopes, paper, ink, postage, etc. Thank you for providing us your email address. Call the office at 364-3056 to speak with Brenda or Linda or send an email to rwd3jackson@gmail.com (Brenda) or rwdbookkeeper@gmail.com (Linda) to provide us with your current email address.