A fluke incident involving a water pump malfunction sent a man to the hospital after he was exposed to high amounts of chlorine coming out of the tap.

Water supply company H2O Systems, Inc. reported yesterday a fluke malfunction with their Sharp Road well site Friday sent high amounts of the deadly chemical chlorine into several homes on Spanish Moss Court in the Meadowbrook subdivision in Mandeville.

Office Manager Danette Jenkins said the pump that draws water from an artesian well about 1,800 feet in the ground quit working for some unknown reason Friday. The water that is drawn from the well is stored in a holding tank. As water is drawn from the ground, a separate pump simultaneously injects specific amounts of chlorine for purification purposes into the water that is stored in the holding tank. When the water pump quit working, the chlorine pump kept operating and continued shooting chlorine into the holding tank, making for a lethal combination, Jenkins said.

Only the closest homes, about 18 to 20, to the well site were affected, Jenkins said, including the man who was admitted to the hospital. No further information about the man or his condition could be obtained by press time.

Jenkins said they were notified by one of their customers of an unusual chlorine smell coming from their tap. The company immediately investigated and flushed the system out, turning off the Sharp Road well site. Jenkins said they also put a safeguard on the pump, but it will be inoperable until a complete investigation is done.

“I’ve worked for (water) companies for 20 years and I’ve never had something like this happen,” Jenkins said, describing the episode as a “fluke incident.”

Water has been restored to the homes affected and H2O Systems officials are reassuring residents the water is safe to drink.