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1.25.03 New Omaha water treatment making few waves Chef Jim Trebbien has sampled everything from fine wines to delicate sauces during his career. But so far this week, his discriminating palate hasn't noticed any difference in Omaha's water. On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Utilities District began adding chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia, to the treatment process to reduce the number of potentially cancer-causing byproducts that occur. Based on the experiences of other cities, the change in water treatment brought with it the possibility that Omaha's water might have an off-taste initially, and then possibly an improved, less chlorine-like taste later. "When I asked everybody who works in our culinary section, no one noticed any difference," said Trebbien, academic director for culinary arts at Metropolitan Community College. The switch at Omaha appears to have gone off without a hitch, although the change is prompting some residents to begin buying bottled water or water treatment systems. So far, M.U.D. has received about 50 calls and a number of e-mails about the change, said Mari Matulka, spokeswoman. Most are asking whether the water is safe for their pets (it is, although it should not be used in aquariums without being pre-treated). No real complaints have come in, she said. "Everything is going as it was planned," Matulka said. "Our water is even safer to drink now than it was last week." But the change has been enough to unsettle some people. Local water distributors say they have had an increase in calls from people wanting to switch to bulk bottled water. "It's been real busy," said Richard Ingraham of Crystal Clear Water Inc., an Omaha company that takes M.U.D. water and then further processes it. As part of its daily tests, M.U.D. has been checking water quality at locations around the metro area to be sure that the switch is working as planned, Matulka said. The utility draws samples each day from 30 different faucets and runs computer checks at sites throughout its system. Chloramine has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and about 20 percent of water utilities use it. Chloraminated water is toxic to fish, crustaceans and amphibians because those animals breathe in the water so the chemical comes into direct contact with their bloodstream. It has been deemed safe, however, for such animals as birds, cats, dogs and humans because their digestive tract neutralizes the chloramine. |
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