10/4/2022 16:13:21 Closed by Tyler Steury
The taste and odor event has passed.
Other: Water tastes fishy and like it's straight out of a creek. Gave my family diarrhea for a week before we figured out what was causing it.
The taste and odor event has passed.
I apologize for the unpleasant taste and odor we’re currently experiencing with our drinking water. Unfortunately this is a system wide issue. The warm and dry weather recently has resulted in an increase in algae from Lake Monroe. This algae produces 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 in high amounts, and so at times they persist after treatment. Although the water is unpleasant to drink, 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, sodium permanganate 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 must be a slow and methodical process. There is also a maximum amount of powdered activated carbon that can be added to the water before our filtration system becomes clogged and inoperable. 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. I apologize for this inconvenience, but we are working to correct the issue. 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
City | Bloomington |
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State | IN |
Zip | 47401 |
Latitude | 39.128280639648 |
Longitude | -86.528465270996 |
Township | Perry |