The Alameda County Water District (ACWD) has disinfected its water supplies by chlorination for many years. Another type of disinfection process, chloramination, has been in use since 1983 for a portion of ACWD's service area. In November of 1997, ACWD began providing chloramination treatment to most of Fremont, Newark and Union City as part of its long-range water quality program.
Chloramine is considered to be superior to chlorine for maintaining a disinfectant residual in drinking water. Please refer to these expert opinions on chloramine health effects and on chloramine speciation for information on why we consider chloramine to be the best choice for residual disinfection in the Tri-City area. Questions and Answers Regarding Chloramine is a helpful fact sheet produced by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, from whom we purchase a portion of our water supply.
Although chloramine helps to make your water safe to drink, it is toxic to fish, reptiles and amphibians and must be removed from the water these animals live in. Unlike chlorine, chloramine does not dissipate rapidly from water, so you will have to take steps to remove it. Here are some facts you should know:
