When injecting chlorine into finished water, what is the goal?

The goal of injecting chlorine into finished water is primarily to allow contact time for complete disinfection. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant that is used to eliminate harmful microorganisms in water. When chlorine is added, it needs time to interact with the pathogens present, ensuring they are effectively neutralized. The disinfection process relies on achieving the right concentration of chlorine and allowing adequate contact time to ensure that the chlorine can fully act on the microorganisms before the water is distributed to consumers.

While enhancing flavor or stabilizing temperature might be considerations in certain contexts, they are not the primary objectives when it comes to the use of chlorine as a disinfectant in finished water. Increasing oxygen levels is also unrelated to the primary purpose of chlorine injection, which focuses on pathogen elimination. Thus, the emphasis on contact time reflects the crucial nature of ensuring that water is safe for consumption by thoroughly disinfecting it.