NOTICE: CUSTOMERS OF RURAL WATER DISTRICT # 3, JACKSON COUNTY
The Rural Water District # 3 in conjuction with the City of Holton via the Public Wholesale No. 18 plant will be conducting a free chlorine burnout of the disinfection system from Mid July thru September.
We as a water utility annually perform a free chlorine burnout of its potable water distribution system, as well as flushing of lines, 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 IS SAFE for consumption, cooking, drinking, bathing, etc.
This process if performed in order to maintain water quality. If this maintenance is not performed the water in the distribution system 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 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 baceteria 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 summer temperatures. This 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. Fire hyrants and flush valves are used to flush the system 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.
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 2,005 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 Lindsay or send an email to rwdmgr@giantcomm.net (Brenda) or rwdbookkeeper@gmail.com (Lindsay) to provide us with your current email address.