City of Newcastle management said they are aware of the concerns regarding the chlorine odor and taste in the City’s fresh water.
In a press release to the public, the City Manager’s office states that each year, typically from May through September, the City produces water to account for high summer usage and to manage the amount of water taken from Oklahoma City.
“During the fall and winter months, the City’s water plant is idle and our water supply is primarily from Oklahoma City,” said Kevin Self, city manager. “This method of operation has been in place since 2014. Newcastle’s water agreement with OKC is referred to as a ‘daily reservation’ or a ‘take or pay agreement.’” Self said, ‘“Take or pay’ simply means the City will pay for the daily reservation amount whether it is used or not.”
Newcastle’s current daily reservation is 2,048,000 gallons per day. If the City exceeds the daily reservation, the cost for Oklahoma City water can increase significantly.
“This can easily happen during the high usage, summer months. Therefore, the City produces its own water during the summer to hopefully avoid exceeding the daily reservation amount,” Self said.
He said to address the recent chlorine odor and taste, Oklahoma City typically maintains the total chlorine parts per million (ppm) in their water between 2.5 and 2.8. Newcastle typically maintains total chlorine ppm between 3.0 and 3.5.
He said during the last 24 hours, water crews have tested the City’s water in multiple locations and total chlorine ppm have ranged between 3.2 and 3.6 ppm. The ODEQ allowable range for total chlorine is 2 to 4 ppm.
“It is possible the total chlorine ppm range differences between Oklahoma City and Newcastle water could enhance the chlorine smell and taste of the water,” Self said. “However, test results show Newcastle’s water is well within the allowable ODEQ total chlorine ppm.”
Residents who may be experiencing chlorine odor and taste are encouraged to run their faucets three to five minutes which may assist with reducing this issue.
