What type of water condition can delay obtaining a chlorine breakpoint?

The presence of ammonia in water can significantly delay achieving a chlorine breakpoint. Chlorination is a commonly used method in water treatment to disinfect and remove contaminants, but when ammonia is present, it reacts with chlorine to form chloramines instead of free chlorine.

To reach the breakpoint chlorination level, sufficient chlorine must be added to oxidize all ammonia and other nitrogen compounds before any residual free chlorine can be detected. This process requires additional chlorine to break down these compounds, meaning that the point at which free chlorine is available for disinfection is delayed. Therefore, managing ammonium levels in water treatment processes is crucial to effectively reaching breakpoint chlorination and ensuring effective disinfection.

Other factors such as low temperature or excessive organic matter can influence the efficiency of disinfection processes but do not typically interact with chlorine in the same way ammonia does. Low pressure primarily affects the flow rate in treatment systems rather than the chemical interactions at play.