Editing Chloride (section)

===Water quality and processing===
A major application involving chloride is [[desalination]], which involves the energy intensive removal of chloride salts to give [[drinking water|potable water]]. In the [[petroleum industry]], the chlorides are a closely monitored constituent of the [[drilling fluid|mud system]]. An increase of the chlorides in the mud system may be an indication of drilling into a high-pressure saltwater formation. Its increase can also indicate the poor quality of a target sand.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}}

Chloride is also a useful and reliable chemical indicator of river and groundwater fecal contamination, as chloride is a non-reactive solute and ubiquitous to sewage and potable water. Many water regulating companies around the world utilize chloride to check the contamination levels of the rivers and potable water sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gopetsamerica.com/substance/chlorides.aspx|title=Chlorides|website=www.gopetsamerica.com|access-date=14 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818142707/http://www.gopetsamerica.com/substance/chlorides.aspx|archive-date=18 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>