The City of Ashland Public Works Department’s Water and Wastewater Divisions are monitoring the developing chlorine supply concerns caused by a halt in production at the main supply facility in the region.  A major electrical failure has caused the production plant in Longview Washington to go offline, and it will likely remain offline through the end of June.  This production facility supplies chlorine to all states in the Northwest, and portions of Northern California. 

At this time our water quality is not affected, and we have reserve supplies of chlorine available.  That supply is not unlimited however, so alternative plans are being developed, including finding alternative vendors.  Ashland is not alone in this issue; this chlorine supply problem is affecting treatment facilities all over the region.  We’re working with our regional partners as well as the Oregon Office of Emergency Management and the Oregon Health Authority to ensure an uninterrupted supply of chlorine.  Chlorine is used in the treatment process to disinfect the water and is proven effective against viruses and bacteria. 

The Oregon Health Authority requires chlorine to be maintained at levels that keep drinking water safe for consumption all the way to every user of our water system.  We use the lowest levels of chlorine possible to maintain safe and healthy water.  We always ask everyone to Use Water Wisely, water is a valuable and limited resource.  At this time, we are not implementing any mandatory curtailment measures, but the situation is being closely monitored and mandatory measures could be implemented in the coming days or weeks.