“Our drinking water is safe. It barely exceeded that 80 parts per million maximum allowed,” Orr emphasized.
“We went to only 85 parts per million and that is what triggered the notice to be sent out,” he noted.
Orr explained that lightning struck the water treatment plant within the past couple of months. “It did quite a bit of damage and we had to turn it into our insurance,” he said.
The city manager pointed out, “Quite a bit of the electronics were damaged. Parts were in short supply. We have received all the equipment to fix it, and we’re almost finished with it.
“This is not an emergency and our drinking water is safe,” Orr reiterated. He said the electronics that were damaged are having to be replaced, adding, “and we had to upgrade the old electronics to communicate with the new ones.”
The notice city residents received is a standard form required by the EPA when the contaminants surpass the maximum level.
Orr stressed, “We normally run between 40 to 50 parts per million. We had to switch over temporarily from Chloramine and start using Chlorine, but we are back on Chloramine now,” he added.
That temporary switch to Chlorine is allowed by the EPA. Orr said the city is required to send out the notification when the contaminants surpass that certain level.
Chandler residents recently received a notice about the city’s drinking water, but City Manager Jason Orr on Monday assured them it’s completely safe to drink.
“This next quarter we’ll be back to normal levels. So this should be the only time residents see one of these notices,” Orr said.