Tap water may seem to have a slightly different taste for some North residents, and those who have noticed need not question their taste buds. Or the water.

Due to a change in the disinfection process by West View Water Authority, the water in some communities is a little different -- and a little better, Water Authority officials believe.

In the spring and summer of last year, the authority switched from using chlorine as a disinfectant to using chloramine. In part, the move came in response to the need to deliver safe drinking water to the farthest reaches of the system, which now extends into southern Butler County.

"The problem is, chlorine is extremely reactive -- it reacts with natural organic matter," said George Kraynick, assistant plant manager for West View Water Authority at its treatment plant on Neville Island. The reactivity of the chemical creates harmful disinfection byproducts, such as volatile organic compounds that can be linked to disease, he said.

Seven Fields, one of the most distant communities on the waterline, has had some trouble in recent years meeting requirements on allowable levels of disinfection byproducts, as regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Kraynick said. .

Chloramine is a longer-lasting disinfectant that has been used to purify water for about 90 years, according to the EPA.

Chloramine is made up of chlorine and ammonia. The chemical creates no harmful byproducts, is safe and has been used for decades, Mr. Kraynick said.

So what is it West View customers are tasting now? Apparently, it's nothing.

Chloramine is odorless and tasteless, said Sharon Bruno, director of administration for the Water Authority, and summer is when customers may notice that most.

She pointed out that in summer, chlorine doesn't dissipate as fast in warmer water, a fact that is evident to Pittsburghers who may taste the disinfectant in their water when it's hot. The temperature of the water doesn't affect chloramine.

West View Water Authority provides water service to 200,000 customers in the North Hills, Kennedy, Stowe and McKees Rocks.

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