The water you drink may have a chlorine taste and odor to it starting Monday (March 26), when the county begins its annual spring cleaning of water pipes.
The Washington Aqueduct, which provides the tap water for Arlington and other local jurisdictions, will begin a temporary disinfectant change from chloramine to chlorine from March 26 through May 7.
Throughout the cleaning Arlington’s Water, Sewer, Streets Bureau will monitor the chlorine for safe levels.
To remove any chlorine taste or odor, the county suggests running cold tap water for two minutes, using water filters and letting cold water sit in the refrigerator.
The county emphasizes that Arlington’s drinking water meets all EPA and Virginia Department of Health standards, and that the “spring cleaning” helps maintain water systems. The routine maintenance helps prevent corrosion and “the potential release of lead in system pipes throughout the region,” though “extensive research in Arlington has never found any lead service lines or lead pipes inside homes.”