Water Quality Returning to Normal Following Chlorine Maintenance

City of Litchfield Meeting | January 22, 2026

Article Summary: A representative from CMP reported that the city’s water treatment process has returned to using chloramines, resolving the temporary “chlorine taste” experienced during scheduled maintenance. Infrastructure upgrades, including sand filter rehabilitation, are scheduled to begin in February.

Water Quality Key Points:

• Treatment Switch: The plant switched back to the standard ammonia/chloramine system on Thursday, January 15.

• Flushing Underway: City crews are flushing the system to replace the treated water, though cold weather has slowed the process.

• Turbidity Note: A recent turbidity spike was reported as a non-health hazard compliance issue.

• Upcoming Repairs: Rehabilitation of the sand filters is tentatively scheduled to start on February 5.

The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, January 22, 2026, received a positive update regarding the city’s water quality from Christy Crites, of CMP, the city’s water operator.

Christy reported that the “free chlorine burn,” a maintenance process that can result in a strong swimming-pool-like taste and odor, has concluded. The plant returned to its standard ammonia and chloramine treatment method on Thursday, January 15.

“The water should taste like it used to taste,” Christy said. She noted that while most of the system has normalized, some dead-end lines might still hold older water. City staff are flushing hydrants where possible, though extreme cold temperatures have limited their ability to flush the entire system aggressively.

Christy also addressed a recent turbidity spike, clarifying that it exceeded a specific limit regarding particles in the water but emphasized, “The drinking water is absolutely safe.”

Looking ahead, the city is moving forward with infrastructure improvements. The clarifiers have been cleaned and are running efficiently, and a rehabilitation project for the sand filters is set to begin around February 5 to restore peak plant performance.