The Christchurch City Council has announced it will be lowering the amount of chlorine it is putting in the water at some of the city’s pump stations as they attempt to address taste and smell issues.
Just over half of the pump stations in Christchurch will be having their chlorine dose reduced, according to a statement released by the council today.
"We have already been given approval by the Drinking Water Assessor to reduce the dose of chlorine at 27 of the 53 pump stations that are being treated," says Council general manager city services David Adamson.
The council says this will reduce the overall concentration of chlorine in the drinking water.
"We are hoping reducing the dose will help with the taste and smell issues that some people have been experiencing, but until we roll this out we cannot make promises.
"The advice we have had from our independent expert suggests the lower dose could reduce the taste and smell issues, but there is a chance it may not make a significant difference.
"That being said, both our expert and the Drinking Water Assessor believe the potential benefits outweigh that risk and it is worth shifting to a lower dose where we can,'' Mr Adamson says.
The 27 pump stations where the Council will be lowering dose have been selected because they are in areas where the water travels down the pipes for at least two minutes before reaching people’s homes.
The statement says that two minute lag is important because it allows enough time for the chlorine to be effective at a lower dose.
At the other pump stations the chlorine only has a minute’s contact time with the water before people start drawing on it so the dose needs to remain at current levels, until alternative measures can be put in place.
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