Chlorine Dioxide in Cape Canaveral Florida Water

Unhealthy Levels of Chlorine Dioxide in the Water Supply of Cape Canaveral Florida Homes

Chlorine dioxide is a powerful disinfectant sometimes used to control microbes in drinking water systems. When concentrations get higher than desired it can give tap and shower water a sharp chemical taste or a noticeable oxidizing smell. Many Cape Canaveral residents notice drier-feeling hair or skin after bathing when that scent is present — something made more apparent in our humid subtropical coastal climate and with typically hard municipal water that already stresses plumbing and fixtures. If your water suddenly seems harsher or more odorous than usual, chlorine dioxide is one of the possible causes to consider.

Because chlorine dioxide is chemically reactive it can create related byproducts while disinfecting, and those compounds can affect taste and odor even when the water looks clear. You may detect the smell more in hot water, in older pipes, or when water stands in plumbing — issues familiar to homeowners near Port Canaveral and the Space Coast. Using bottled water for drinking won’t remove smells or tastes throughout the house, so treating water at the point where it enters your Cape Canaveral home improves cooking, bathing, laundry and everyday cleaning rather than addressing just one faucet.