How are bacteria that can make people sick kept out of drinking water?
Chemicals called disinfectants are added to drinking water at the treatment plant. Fairfax Water’s primary disinfectant is chlorine and its chemical compounds. Chloramine, the combination of ammonia and chlorine, form a stable bond that keeps a disinfectant residual throughout the entire distribution system. During the spring months, Fairfax Water performs its annual flushing. While that program is in progress, the disinfectant is changed to free chlorine. Free Chorine is an aggressive disinfectant that aids in the disinfection of the flushed water mains. Fairfax Water is also beginning to utilize ozone as a disinfectant. The use of ozone will allow the amount of chloramine and free chlorine added in the treatment process to be reduced.
