uReport

City of Bloomington, Indiana

closed: Resolved #177463

Water Quality:

Other: Water smells and taste like mold. Taste from all taps is pretty awful.

Assigned to
Tyler Steury

History

11/1/2021 10:15:57 Closed by Tyler Steury

We apologize for the taste and odor issues experienced in September and October. Tyler Steury CBU Water Quality 812-349-3655

Sent notification to Tyler Steury, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=177463 Closed by Tyler Steury We apologize for the taste and odor issues experienced in September and October. Tyler Steury CBU Water Quality 812-349-3655

9/16/2021 16:17:16 Tyler Steury contacted Anonymous

Ken, Unfortunately this is a system wide issue we're experiencing. The warm and dry weather this month has resulted in an increase in algae from Lake Monroe producing geosmin and methylisoborneol (MIB), which cause taste and odor issues with the drinking water. Our treatment system is able to control and filter the algae itself, but the compounds they produce in the lake are very difficult to control in a conventional water treatment plant, and so at times they persist after treatment. These compounds are not a health concern, they are an aesthetic issue which is not uncommon for communities using lakes as their water source. There are certain steps we're taking to try to eliminate the issue, such as increasing the amount of powdered activated carbon and copper sulfate that we add to the water to control algae and help with taste and odor issues. However we do not want to add more chemicals to our water than is absolutely necessary so this is a slow and methodical process. As the weather cools down the algae will return to normal levels. We’re continually testing the water for many different quality parameters in multiple sites in our distribution system and at our water treatment plant to ensure the water continues to be safe to drink. Unfortunately it may take some time before we return to the normal water taste and absence of odor, but we are working to correct the issue. I apologize for this inconvenience. You are welcome to call or email with any questions. Tyler Steury City of Bloomington Utilities Water Quality Coordinator steuryt@bloomington.in.gov (812) 349-3655 office (812) 361-7774 cell

Sent notification to Tyler Steury, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=177463 Tyler Steury contacted Ken Commodore Ken, Unfortunately this is a system wide issue we're experiencing. The warm and dry weather this month has resulted in an increase in algae from Lake Monroe producing geosmin and methylisoborneol (MIB), which cause taste and odor issues with the drinking water. Our treatment system is able to control and filter the algae itself, but the compounds they produce in the lake are very difficult to control in a conventional water treatment plant, and so at times they persist after treatment. These compounds are not a health concern, they are an aesthetic issue which is not uncommon for communities using lakes as their water source. There are certain steps we're taking to try to eliminate the issue, such as increasing the amount of powdered activated carbon and copper sulfate that we add to the water to control algae and help with taste and odor issues. However we do not want to add more chemicals to our water than is absolutely necessary so this is a slow and methodical process. As the weather cools down the algae will return to normal levels. We’re continually testing the water for many different quality parameters in multiple sites in our distribution system and at our water treatment plant to ensure the water continues to be safe to drink. Unfortunately it may take some time before we return to the normal water taste and absence of odor, but we are working to correct the issue. I apologize for this inconvenience. You are welcome to call or email with any questions. Tyler Steury City of Bloomington Utilities Water Quality Coordinator steuryt@bloomington.in.gov (812) 349-3655 office (812) 361-7774 cell

9/16/2021 14:54:53 Anonymous assigned this case to Tyler Steury

Sent notification to Tyler Steury, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=177463 Anonymous assigned this case to Tyler Steury You can use the link to follow progress on this case.

9/16/2021 14:54:53 Opened by Anonymous

704 W 4th ST

CityBloomington
StateIN
Zip47404
Latitude39.165828704834
Longitude-86.541313171387
Neighborhood AssociationProspect Hill
TownshipBloomington

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