Tampa Tap Water Switches to Chlorine for Three Weeks Starting Today

The City of Tampa's Water Department switched its disinfection method today, Sept. 14, swapping monochloramine for straight chlorine in the water supply. The change runs through Monday, Oct. 5, and city officials say the water remains safe to drink and use the entire time, though customers may notice a stronger chlorine taste or smell coming out of the tap.

It's not just a city of Tampa issue. Hillsborough County said the same switch will temporarily affect some of its own water customers in East Lake, Fairview Mobile Home Park, Hershel Heights, Pebble Creek and Seaboard, on the same Sept. 14 to Oct. 5 schedule. Those systems are expected to return to chloramine disinfection by Oct. 6.

City officials describe the switch as routine maintenance, something done regularly by utilities across the Tampa Bay region and around the country. Monochloramine, a mix of chlorine and ammonia, is the city's normal disinfectant because it lingers longer in pipes with less taste and odor. But periodically switching to straight chlorine for a few weeks helps clear out bacterial buildup in water mains and service lines that chloramine alone doesn't fully manage.

What you'll notice at the tap

For most households, the difference is subtle: water that smells a bit more like a swimming pool than usual. People who are sensitive to chlorine, or who already filter their water carefully, are more likely to pick up on it.

The city's recommendations for cutting down the smell and taste are simple:

• Run the tap for a few minutes before using the water.
• Fill a pitcher and refrigerate it for several hours to let the chlorine dissipate before drinking.
• Use a carbon filter on kitchen or bathroom faucets and showerheads, and swap in a new filter if you already have one installed.

Fish and other aquatic pets are particularly vulnerable to both chloramine and chlorine in tap water, so owners who do partial water changes over the next three weeks will want to treat the water with a dechlorinator or let it sit and aerate before it goes in the tank, same as they'd do during any other water change.

Why the city does this

Utilities that use chloramine as their primary disinfectant, including Tampa's, typically run a temporary conversion back to chlorine once or twice a year. Chlorine breaks down biofilm and bacterial growth inside pipes more aggressively than chloramine does over the long run, which is why utilities cycle back to it periodically even though chloramine is the better choice for everyday use because it produces fewer taste and odor complaints and lasts longer moving through the distribution system.

The city has run similar temporary switches in past years, including one earlier this year in the spring. This fall's conversion is scheduled to end Oct. 5, with monochloramine treatment set to resume the following day.

Residents with questions can call City of Tampa Utilities at (813) 274-8811 or visit the city's water page for updates on when normal treatment resumes.

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