Frequently Ask Questions on Water Quality 1. If, at times, you find the chlorinous taste and smell bothers you, simply place a jug of water in the fridge over night. This should remove most of the chlorinous taste. Sodium hypochlorite is added to drinking water at the secondary disinfection stations. It is a chlorine-based solution, similar to household bleach but with twice the strength, that is used throughout the world for water disinfection since 1908.
Chlorine is safe at the levels used for water treatment.
There are disinfection by-products produced when chlorine reacts with organic matter in the water. The levels of disinfection by-products meet current health standard and the level of risk is extremely low, even after a lifetime of consumption. The benefits of chlorination far outweigh the known risk of bacteria in the water. However, water consumers with specific concerns about chlorine should contact their doctors. Hardness of water is a result of dissolved natural minerals in the water supply.