Chlorine is a reliable and widely used disinfection agent for drinking water. When dosed correctly, it kills a broad range of pathogens and is safe for people and animals to consume.
Accurate dosing is essential, since inadequate chlorine might not kill the most harmful pathogens, and too much will give the water an unpleasant taste or smell. For that reason, water plant operators monitor chlorine levels before the water enters the distribution system.Measuring chlorine isn’t as simple as finding that the water contains X parts per million. The most critical value is free chlorine — the amount available to actually destroy
