No Covid-19 in water: Chester among 690 Vermont systems ordered to chlorinate water State director says mandate aids vulnerable population

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Under state orders, Chester has begun adding chlorine to its town water supply, something that it had previously only done as a precaution after a water main break or when bacteria is detected during routine weekly testing.

The state mandate, Bryan Redmond, director of the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said in an interview on Friday, was issued “out of an abundance of caution to protect those people with weakened immune systems – the aged and vulnerable – and make sure they are not further compromised.”

Besides Chester, the mandate applies to 690 water systems throughout Vermont including Cavendish, which has been chlorinating its water regularly, said Town Manager Brendan McNamara. He added that, “Our levels were already at or above” the state mandate. Weston, Londonderry, Andover, Winhall and Grafton do not have public systems.

Redmond emphasized that there is no coronavirus in the drinking water supply, and that a major reason is to protect those with weakened immune systems from possible problems. During the Covid-19 crisis, he added, this provides an additional layer of public health protection. The directive was issued on March 20.

The Telegraph learned of the unannounced chlorine addition from a reader, Susan Bourne, who said she first got a faint whiff of chlorine on Tuesday, April 7. On Wednesday morning, she said,  she could smell it from the tap but it wasn’t as strong as when the Water Department flushed the pipes after the water main break at Chester-Andover Elementary School in 2018.

Responding to a question from The Telegraph during his Friday morning Covid-19 press briefing, neither Gov. Phil Scott nor Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine were aware of the “disinfect order.” Scott said they would check into it and later in the afternoon Redmond spoke with The Telegraph.

“By rule,” Redmond told The Telegraph, “community water systems have to have the capability to disinfect and they were instructed to disinfect … When the state of emergency is over, so is the instruction.”

Bourne expressed surprise at the chlorination. “Usually,” she said the town notifies “the residents. People need to know, especially those with sensitive systems. I’m not drinking the water, I’m boiling it and a neighbor filtered two quarts of water for me.”

Chester Water Superintendent Jeff Holden said on Friday, “A lot of people smell it first thing in the morning because it sits in the pipes overnight and off-gases. If you run your water for a little while, it becomes much less noticeable.” Holden said the town is using the smallest amount of chlorine required to lessen the effect on water users.

McNamara said that Cavendish, which has a complex filtration system, upped the levels a little bit “even before the state mandate.”

If you find the water unpalatable, boiling, filtering or just letting the water sit and off-gas will remove some of the smell and taste. Holden said that the town uses chlorine for disinfection and not chloramine — a combination of chlorine and ammonia — that does not dissipate as readily.

A press release issued early Friday evening by the Agency of Natural Resources, urges residents on a public or community system to continue to drink their tap water. It also stated: “chlorine is added to the water in low doses to kill pathogens that can affect human health.”

— Cynthia Prairie contributed to this article.