using city water

Have been reading some info about the chlorine in city water killing off beneficial bacteria and such in the soil. Was wondering what everyones thoughts are on the subject. Thanks- Paula

I've used city water to brew compost tea and haven't had any problems. Most chlorine based disinfecting agents quickly break down and lose their antimicrobial activity when they come in contact with organic material like soil, so in a garden bed I don't think it would be a huge problem. Plus the level of chlorine chemicals in the water by the time it gets to you is fairly low to begin with. I'm sure that it does kill some of the bacteria, and if you've got another option for where to get your water from (collected rainwater, etc) then that's probably better for your plants in general, but I don't think city water is the end of the world if that's all you have access to. There are filters you can buy that are supposed to remove the chlorine so you could always try one of those if you're worried about it.

I've noticed that herbs are sensitive to tap water, so I try to always give them rainwater. We have one 80 gallon rainwater barrel and several other large containers to catch water than runs off our roof.