LAKE WORTH CHANGING PROCESS FOR WATER

Treatment plant bumps up method every six months.

LAKE WORTH — Starting Saturday, Lake Worth’s Water Treatment Plant will change its water chlorination process for two weeks to maintain high water quality.

The city will use a free chlorine residual water treatment method to provide a stronger, faster acting disinfection process than the combined chlorine of Chrlormaines treatment normally used.

“It’s a stronger disinfectant and it helps to maintain the chlorine residuals throughout the system,” said Timothy Sloan, Lake Worth’s Water Plant manager. “All the cities do it every six months.”

Sloan said the process saves Lake Worth money with time and man hours and cuts down on the amount of flushing the city has to do.

“People are not out flushing significantly,” he said.

Lake Worth has been doing this at least 10 years, Sloan said.

The city will also increase fire hydrant flushing during this time as a preventative process. The flushing, the city said, will cause temporary water in roadway swales.

Residents may notice a slight change chlorine taste or odor in their tap water during the period, but they will not cause any health effects, the city said.

For those who are especially sensitive to the taste or odor of chlorine, the city said keep an open container of drinking water in your refrigerator for a few hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

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

Lake Worth will revert back to the combined chlorine method on Oct. 10.

“This will help maintain the quality of our water,” Sloan said.