In March Murphy Residents May Notice Strange Taste, Smell In Water, City Says 'Don't Worry It's Safe' 

MURPHY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - City officials are reassuring Murphy residents that their drinking water is safe for all uses in March even though it may taste or smell different.

The alteration is a result of the annual system maintenance procedure undertaken by the City's water supplier, the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), which starts Monday, March 1 and ends on Monday, March 29, according to Wade Williams, Public Works Superintendent.

"The NTMWD has conducted its system maintenance during this time of year for the last decade," said Williams. "The annual maintenance may alter the taste and smell slightly but does not affect either the purity or the usability of the water."

Williams advised several ways to disguise the changes.

Placing a pitcher of water in the refrigerator overnight or adding a slice of citrus to the water will minimize the taste and odor alteration. Adding a crushed 1,000 mg vitamin C tablet will neutralize the chlorine from bath water, making it undetectable.

The change in the taste and smell happens because chlorine is the only chemical added to the water during this period to kill bacteria and oxidize contaminants. Normally, chlorine is combined with ammonia to treat drinking water, creating a combined chlorine, or chloramines. Chloramines provide longer-lasting water treatment as the water moves through the system to consumers.

Since the ammonia normally added is eliminated during the maintenance period, the chlorine disinfectant becomes more noticeable to some people.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality allows water suppliers to perform chlorine maintenance, which helps reduce the need for NTMWD to flush systems during the summer, thus conserving water.

"At the end of the chlorine maintenance period, on March 29, the taste and smell will return to normal," said Williams.