Chloramine Poison Water?

Poison in Our Orange County Tap Water?

Ocean View South Laguna We all Expect Clean Blue Water

In the past two years I have purchased two new water heaters, two washing machines, changed out my toilet flappers every four months, installed new toilets, notice yellowing in plants, dinghy white laundry and blue and white scale on my pool. The cause is Moulton Niguel Water District’s switch to chloramine. Chloramine makes water highly corrosive.  I can’t find any studies completed to demonstrate if it is safe.

my toes in the bathtub 

Plumbing trucks are now common neighbors working on replacing leaks, toilets, water heaters in Laguna Niguel. Changes in water chemistry have caused the water to become aggressive towards the piping. Copper, galvanized, plastic and fiberglass used in pool pumps are all effected with fissures, cracks and pin holes at the start.

Moulton Niguel Water Company started using chloramines recently. This cocktail of chlorine and ammonia is employed in the water treatment process to kill bacteria in our drinking water. NH₂Cl is used as a disinfectant in as an alternative to chlorination.  

desert plant

Why did they switch? Moulton Niguel Water saves money by cutting chlorine costs with chloramines.

Lennar Homes and others have filed lawsuits against Moulton Niguel Water ( MNWD). The complaint alleges leaks in copper "are the direct and/or proximate result of corrosive, aggressive, and/or improperly treated water" supplied by MNWD. Lennar sued MNWD for construction leaks and for any costs, damages or settlements incurred by the home builder as a result of the leaks.

A few facts:

Chloramine releases mercury from dental amalgams (you know the old silver colored fillings in the back of your mouth).

It shakes loose lead solder in older pipes.

It quickly kills frogs and other amphibians, reptiles, turtles, fish and other aquatic and marine life, to the extent that you cannot use chloramine-treated water to fill up a fish tank or backyard fish pond.

I didn’t know it was toxic to turtles until recently after my pet of 29 years died in my yard this spring.

Chloramine corrodes rubber toilet flappers and gaskets, rubber hoses, and rubber fittings in dishwashers and water heaters.

Chloramine de-elasticizes PVC pipes. The pipes become brittle plastic. Particulate of the plastic and oil by products leach carcinogens from the plastic pipe and joint compounds into drinking water.

Chloramine doesn’t evaporate by letting it sit out in an open container. A carbon filter can remove the chemical from your drinking water.

Taking a long relaxing shower might be toxic. Heat converts chemicals to a toxic gas.

murky water

Some Suggestions:

Adding fruit, such as slices of peeled orange, to a 1-gallon water pitcher, which will softens but not totally neutralize chloramine in about 30 minutes by adding degradable food substance and raising the PH.

Boiling 26 hours or 8 hours of Ultraviolet light Dissolving a 1,000-mg vitamin C tablet into your bath water, which will neutralize the chloramine in an average-size bathtub. Ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate neutralizes both chlorine and chloramines but degrades in a day or two which only make it usable for short-term applications. SFPUC determined that 1000 mg of Vitamin C (tablets purchased in a grocery store, crushed and mixed in with the bath water) remove chloramine completely in a medium size bathtub.

Adding water softener salt to your toilet tanks and wash loads helps a bit with the rapid breakdown of rubber and plastic parts.

I am researching water filtration systems that we might install at the water head. Even my shut off valve to the main is so badly corroded; it is difficult to turn the water off in an emergency.

There are other disinfection techniques available to City Water Districts , such as ultraviolet light and micro-filtration, which would be safer. I hope other local residents will investigate and find solutions. Meanwhile MNWD increased the cost of water…