PUBLIC NOTICE
On Tuesday, April 3, 2023 the City of Brookfield in conjunction with the City of Marceline
and Public Water Supply District Number 3 will be making its ANNUAL CHANGE FROM
CHLORAMINES TO CHLORINE
Every year, the Cities of Brookfield, Marceline and Public Water Supply District Number
3 (PWSD # 3) implement an annual flushing program. Public Utilities employees will
flush the water mains by opening fire hydrants and allowing them to flow freely for a
short period of time. The flushing cleans out sediment and allows routine maintenance
of the fire hydrants. Flushing may result in some discoloration and the presence of
sediment in your water. These conditions are not harmful and should be of short
duration.
During this period of time, a slight change is made in the water treatment process to
facilitate an effective flushing program. Throughout the year, chloramines, or combined
chlorine, are added to the water as the primary disinfectant. During the flushing
program, chlorine is added in an uncombined state, commonly referred to as free
chlorine. Free chlorine is somewhat more volatile than combined chlorine, providing
exceptional availability to react with sediments suspended during flushing. The Cities of
Brookfield and Marceline will use free chlorine as the primary disinfectant from April 3,
2023 to May 2, 2023. Depending on your location within the distribution system and
usage patterns, it could take up to a week for your drinking water to transition from
combined chlorine to free chlorine at the beginning of the flushing program. The annual
change from chloramines to chlorine for this brief period is required by the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources.
You may notice a chlorine taste and odor in your drinking water while free chlorine is
utilized. If you are especially sensitive to the taste and odor of chlorine, try keeping an
open container of drinking water in your refrigerator. This will enable the chlorine to
dissipate thus reducing the chlorine taste. Remember – drinking water has a shelf life!
Change out the water in your refrigerated container weekly.
Please note, if you have an aquarium or pond always test the water you add to your
aquatic environment to be sure it is free of any chlorine before adding fish or other
animals. Chemical additives with directions for removing either free chlorine or
chloramines from water for use in fish tanks or ponds are available at pet/fish supply
stores.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process please contact the
Brookfield Water Department at (660) 258-7442, Public Water Supply District #3 at
(660) 258-5606 or Marceline Water Department at (660) 376-0700.