The amount of chlorine in the City of Duncan’s drinking water systems is well within the acceptable range, the city’s utility manager said.
The city was responding to concerns raised by Duncan resident Karen Seargeant who said she has noticed chlorine in her water for the last six weeks and her son, who lives in a different part of Duncan, indicated that he has chlorine in his drinking water as well.
Seargeant said she has lived in the city for 40 years and, as far as she knows, the only time chlorine was added to the water was once a year during maintenance.
“I'd like to know what is going on,” she said. “I’m sure the general public would like to know what is going on as well.”
Utilities manager Nathalie Viau said the city has been chlorinating the drinking water for the past three and a half years to protect all residents from waterborne viruses and bacteria.
She said that as a water utility, the city is regulated by the federal government and must abide by the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines which are enforced in British Columbia by the Ministry of Health.
“The allowable range for chlorine is 0.2 to 2.0 milligrams per litre in drinking water, and the chlorine in the city’s water system hovers around 0.2 mg/l, which is well below the highest limit acceptable,” Viau said.
“Most cities or towns in Canada use chlorine disinfectants to treat drinking water and there is no evidence that chlorine disinfectants are harmful to people when used in the small amount needed to disinfect drinking water.”
Viau said the taste and smell of chlorine in the city’s drinking water are mostly undetectable.
“However, if people don’t like the taste or smell of chlorine in the drinking water, they can use a filter system, such as a pitcher filter, or let the water sit for a few hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate,” she said.
