Oshkosh to replace ozone system equipment at water filtration plant

OSHKOSH – Residents may notice a change in their drinking water in the coming weeks as the city prepares to replace ozone system equipment at the water filtration plant.

Oshkosh Department of Public Works will be shutting down its ozone system for a couple of weeks starting April 7 to replace the plant’s aging ozone generators and liquid oxygen storage system.

Director of Public Works James Rabe guaranteed the city’s water will remain safe to drink while chlorine will be utilized as the primary water treatment method to meet disinfection regulations.

“Right now, chlorine is used as a backup and we use it a lot less but we’re going to need to use more chlorine to disinfect the water,” Rabe explained.

“People are a little more sensitive to chlorine, so they will notice a change in taste and smell in the water. So the biggest thing we ask is for people’s patience and understanding as we go through this necessary process."

It will be the first of a couple anticipated shutdowns of the ozone system, which will be taken offline at other points during the year to facilitate equipment replacement and construction.

Rabe explained residents won’t experience an immediate change as the city has more than 6 million gallons of stored water while Oshkosh’s daily usage is around 5 million gallons at this time of year.

“We’re going to start Monday, but it may be a couple days or even more before residents notice a change, so we want people to know there will be a little bit of a lag,” Rabe said.

The city also listed some ways to reduce the scent and taste of chlorine:

Project updates will be posted on the City of Oshkosh Water Utility webpage and the Public Works Department social media pages.

Residents can contact the Department of Public Works at 920-236-5065 or the Water Filtration Plant at 920-236-5165.

Contact Justin Marville at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.