chloraminated groundwater (purchased from a water wholesaler) had high free ammonia as it entered a chloraminated city distribution system. The total chlorine in the distribution system started to drop to non detected as it moved through the water system..
Free Ammonia 0.40 mg/L
Total Ammonia 0.54 mg/L
Total Chlorine 0.75 mg/L
Free Chlorine 0.00 mg/L
Monochloramine 0.73 mg/L
Conductivity 1440 us/cm
As the ultimate form in the transformation of chloramines is nitrogen trichloride which is not soluble into water, a highfree concentration of ammonia is likey to provoke a decrease in the total chlorine concentration. Anyway, I do not know how significant it can be compared to the total concentration. See for example:
Article Exposure to Chloraminies in a Green Salad Processing Plant
Article Exposure to chloramines in the atmosphere of indoor swiming pools
I assume the chloramine in the supplied well water is stable for some days if it is kept in the laboratory and the distribution system was working fine with chloramination before the change to well water.
Then there seem to be something in the distribution system which could be biofilm in combination with higher concentration than before of assimilable organic carbon (AOC; biodegradable organic matter) in the well water.
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