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The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) will temporarily change the disinfectant in its water treatment process from March 6 through April 3, 2023. The annual routine change is necessary to maintain the regional system and year-round water quality for the more than two million customers NTMWD serves in a 10-county region in North Texas in a 2,200-square-mile service area. NTMWD provides a capacity of more than 876 million gallons of treated water per day through more than 695 miles of transmission pipelines. For more information, visit www.NTMWD. com/SafeWater and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) at www.tceq. texas.gov/drinkingwater/disinfection/ temporary-free-chlorine- conversion. Disinfection is a critical part of the water treatment process that keeps drinking water free of harmful microorganisms, such as parasites and viruses. Disinfection involves a twostep process that first treats the water at the treatment plant and then chloramine disinfectant (chlorine + ammonia) is added to maintain water quality on its journey through the miles of pipes to homes and businesses. During the temporary change, NTMWD suspends adding ammonia and uses free chlorine to keep the water disinfected as it travels through pipes. It’s important to do this before summer because hotter temperatures can increase the potential for bacterial growth in pipes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this temporary conversion is a common practice for many water providers using chloramines for disinfection.
