Why does the Maui DWS use chloramines in the Upper Kula system?
Your water is surface water from the Waikamoi forest reserve, which is treated by microfiltration at the Olinda Water Treatment Facility. The Maui Department of Water Supply recognizes the need to keep disinfection as consistent and stable as possible throughout the water system. The Maui DWS uses chloramines for their ability to last in the distribution system, for their lack of taste and odor and for their safety. It has been shown that chloramines help deliver water to you with the lowest possible levels of trihalomethanes (THMs). What are trihalomethanes (THMs)? THMs are chemical compounds that are formed when chlorine mixes with naturally occurring organics in water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted tests, which determined that chloroform (one of the THMs) is carcinogenic when consumed by laboratory animals in large quantities over a prolonged period of time, and is a suspected carcinogen for people. EPA set a standard of 100 parts per billion as the safe m
