Chloramine
- To: "Medit-Plants"
- Subject: Chloramine
- From: D*
- Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 02:24:33 -0700
Chloramine is used because it stays in the water, unlike chlorine which
is dissipated as a gas. It is preferred because water districts can
rely on its permanence compared to chlorine, which is relatively
unstable.
We have had chloramine in our water for a number of years. You can
smell it when you water the garden. It changes the taste of coffee.
I often wonder what hummingbird nectar made with it does to such tiny
birds. Chloramine does not boil out of the water.
I can no longer root plants in tapwater - they sit there and eventually
die - things like houseplants, etc. that should root easily in water.
I had a koi pond. The koi were about 8 - 10 inches long and had lived
in the pool for almost 12 years. One spring, I used the hose to top-up
the koi pond - about a 1-inch depth on a 2 and 1/2-foot deep pond -
without realizing what was now in our once-beautiful water. It had
previously been chlorinated and the chlorine dissipated when aerated
through the hose nozzle. Not chloramine! Within 24 hours, all the fish
were floating (dead) on the surface.
Studies indicate that chloramine could contribute to colon cancer.
Diane Pertson
