PORT TOWNSEND — If you drink water from the tap here, there is a chance you may have smelled or tasted more chlorine in it the last couple of days.
It’s only temporary.
Port Townsend added slightly more chlorine to drinking water after test samples of the city’s water supply this week returned unsatisfactory results — results that were not borne out in subsequent samples.
“We want to stress that the water is safe,” said Ian Jablonski, the city’s water resource manager.
The city regularly monitors its water for coliform bacteria to ensure that the water is safe to drink.
Jablonski assures residents that their drinking water is just fine.
“The failed tests from March 10 were the result of an inadvertent testing error,” Jablonski said.
The city said in a written statement that it had taken an additional 11 samples and all had passed.
But the failed test results prompted the state Department of Health to advise the city to increase the amount of chlorine in the water for a couple of days.
“When we received the positive tests, we boosted the chlorine in the water as a precaution,” Jablonski said.
“It will be in the system for a few more days before levels return to normal.
“It really isn’t a whole lot.”
Jablonski said that the small increase began on Wednesday and was stopped on Thursday.
“Honestly, most people probably won’t be able to tell the difference,” he said.
State regulations require that municipalities provide public notice about any positive coliform tests.
The city will follow up with official public notification in the next monthly utility bill newsletter.
Jablonski said that he drinks, and will continue to drink, the city water.
“I always have,” he said.
“I drink it right out of the tap.”
