Why Kirksville Sometimes Changes How Its Drinking Water Is Disinfected

A temporary change in how Kirksville disinfects drinking water is not automatically a contamination event.

The City periodically changes disinfectants as part of distribution-system maintenance.

Kirksville normally uses chloramines

The City's current explanation says the normal distribution disinfectant is chloramine, which combines chlorine and ammonia.

Chloramines provide a disinfectant residual as water moves through the system.

The City periodically switches to free chlorine

The City describes the temporary free-chlorine period as preventative maintenance intended to help clean the distribution system and maintain water quality.

The schedule is not something residents should assume repeats on the same dates every year.

Use the current City notice when a conversion is active.

Flushing moves the disinfectant through the system

During a conversion, the City can use measures such as:

• directional flushing;
• hydrant flushing;
• lowering and refilling water towers.

That helps move the temporary disinfectant through the distribution network.

Residents may notice temporary changes

The City's current FAQ says customers may notice:

• different taste;
• different odor;
• temporary cloudiness from disturbed sediment.

Those changes during an announced conversion are not the same thing as a boil advisory.

If the condition is unusual or persists outside the announced maintenance period, contact the City.

The water remains intended for normal household use

During the City's announced maintenance conversion, the City says the water remains suitable for normal household uses.

That statement applies to the scheduled maintenance process.

It should not be generalized to an unrelated water-quality event.

Some users require special attention

Disinfectants matter to equipment or uses that remove or react with chlorine/chloramine.

The City's guidance specifically calls attention to users such as:

• home dialysis patients;
• aquarium owners;
• people using treatment equipment designed around disinfectant removal.

Those users should follow equipment, medical/provider or aquarium-system guidance.

This article should not substitute for dialysis or aquarium-treatment instructions.

A disinfectant conversion is not a boil advisory

The distinction matters.

Scheduled disinfectant conversion: maintenance process announced by the City.

Boil advisory: temporary public-health instruction issued because an event may affect water quality.

Do not confuse one with the other because both may involve flushing, taste or odor changes.

For advisory actions, see What to Do During a Kirksville Boil Advisory.

Check the current notice

The City used a roughly six-week free-chlorine period in 2026.

That historical schedule should not be treated as an evergreen calendar.

When water taste or odor changes and you want to know whether a conversion is active, check the City's current chlorine notice or contact Public Works.

The important fact is not the date of one conversion.

It is understanding why the City changes disinfectants and how to distinguish scheduled maintenance from a separate water-quality advisory.