In the interest of transparency, the Village of Maeystown issued a notice to residents that its water provider has made a temporary modification to its water treatment process.

Maeystown’s water is supplied by Fountain Water District, which currently serves about 1,700 households in Monroe County.

“These periodic modifications have been approved by the EPA and are not considered to be unusual in modern water system practices,” the notice states.

As the notice explains, Fountain Water District normally uses a monochloramine disinfectant residual throughout its system to prevent the presence of harmful pathogenic organisms in the water. With this type of chemical, non-harmful bacteria growth can occur in the water pipes and contribute to “objectionable taste and odor” and other issues.

To counteract this, Fountain Water District said it periodically changes its process to deliver predominantly free chlorine residual throughout its system.

“Free chlorine residual is effective in helping to rid the system of troublesome bacteria that are not harmful to human health,” the notice states. 

Fountain Water District made this modification on March 1, with the treatment process expected to be in effect 3-4 weeks.

“During this time, you may notice a change in the taste and odor of the water, drops in water pressure and possible discoloration as we will be flushing fire hydrants as part of this maintenance and ask that you refrain from doing white items in your laundry if you notice discoloration in your water,” the notice states.

Fountain Water District office manager Wendy Hill  confirmed the notice issued in Maeystown is accurate, and the modification applies to all customers receiving its water.

“We do this every year and do not generally put out a public notice,” Hill said.

Those with questions or concerns with this process can contact Chad Rhutasel at 618-920-1124 or at hydroservicesinc@sbcglobal.net.