Tap Water May Soon Taste Like Chlorine In Chatham: Here's Why

CHATHAM, NJ — Several towns in Morris County, including Chatham Township, will experience temporary treatment changes to their water supply as part of an annual maintenance program, according to New Jersey American Water.

New Jersey American Water (NJAW) announced that its Raritan-Millstone and Canal Road Water Treatment plants will temporarily switch from a chloramine (combined) residual to a free chlorine residual.

The surface water treatment plants serve customers of New Jersey American Water in the counties of Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union.

The temporary treatment process will begin the week of Feb. 20 and continue until the end of April 2023.

During this time, some customers may notice a slight chlorine taste and odor in their water. According to NJAW, this is normal and will only last until the system maintenance is finished. Customers who want to reduce the taste of chlorine can refrigerate water in an uncovered glass container overnight to dissipate chlorine faster.

Laura Norkute, NJAW’s director of water quality and environmental compliance, said the “periodic, scheduled change in disinfectant” is a standard water treatment practice.

“We perform this distribution system maintenance program every year as an added measure of disinfection in our distribution system,” Norkute said.

New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the state's largest investor-owned water utility, serving nearly 2.8 million people with water and/or wastewater services. According to the company, it has been using chloramines in its water treatment process since the 1970s.

For more information, visit newjerseyamwater.com.