On Friday morning October 25th, the City’s drinking water system experienced an issue with the chlorination system in a portion of the City near Lawrence Drive and American Boulevard. Water samples collected from fire hydrants in these areas showed elevated levels of chlorine above 4 mg/L.

Customers primarily affected were in the southwest side of the City from Meadow View Lane to the south and west of the railroad tracks. These customers were notified with a door hanger as required by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources informing them of the high chlorine levels. 

Once the City was aware of the issue we immediately shut down the chlorine system, and began flushing hydrants in this area to reduce the chlorine levels. Lower than normal water pressures were experienced in this area due to the hydrant flushing. Flushing of the water system in the affected area was completed by 5:00 P.M. Friday October 25th. City staff checked chlorine residuals on Saturday October 26th and the chlorine remained at acceptable levels. Chlorine levels and system pressures returned to normal once this operation was completed Friday, and have remained normal throughout the weekend and today.

Residents should flush their water service lateral if they notice a chlorine smell. Open all cold water taps in your home and let the water run for 3 minutes. In the event that the highly chlorinated water is in the piping of your home or building, flushing the plumbing will exchange the water with water chlorinated to appropriate levels.

Please contact the De Pere Water Department at 339-4060 or dpwater@mail.de-pere.org for any questions that you may have concerning this issue.

We apologizes for any inconvenience, or confusion regarding this matter.