By Stephen Floyd
The City of Mount Angel is finalizing plans to chlorinate its municipal water supply as a preventative against unhealthy microbes, with public meetings on the matter set for April.
In a timeline published on the city’s website, officials said chlorination is scheduled to begin May 15 to comply with an Oregon Health Authority (OHA) mandate from 2023.
This is the first time Mount Angel will chlorinate its water, and public meetings were scheduled for April 11 and 20 to address concerns.
The April 20 meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at the Mt. Angel Community Meeting Room, 290 E. Charles St. A Zoom link is also available through the city’s website, ci.mt-angel.or.us.
Mount Angel also has a dedicated phone number, 503-339-3400, and email: [email protected], for chlorination-related questions, as well as a new FAQ page on its website.
“We’re trying to put as much information out there as possible,” said City Manager Mark Daniel during an April 1 meeting of the Mt. Angel City Council.
OHA notified Mount Angel on Oct. 17, 2023, that multiple tests of the water supply revealed high levels of coliforms, which are bacteria commonly found in human and animal intestines.
While these levels were not considered dangerous, they represented the potential for contamination and OHA required that the city add a disinfection treatment to its water supply.
The city was given until April 19 to implement a solution. A timeline published on the city’s website said the city expects to complete the installation of all necessary components by April 15.
Daniel told the council that one way residents are being asked to help is by flushing the water lines in their homes to remove iron and rust buildup in the water system. He said chlorine could possibly combine with the naturally-occurring iron in the city’s well water and cause discoloration, which they are attempting to avoid.
He said residents who allow their faucets to run will not be charged for any overages during the coming months and will instead be billed at the rate they paid for the same period last year. He said this exception will last likely through September – or longer if necessary – to encourage residents to participate.
The city will also be flushing through hydrants to ensure Mount Angel has “the cleanest possible system that we can,” said Daniel.
