uReport

City of Bloomington, Indiana

closed: Resolved #181284

Water Quality:

Other: recently my water has begun tasting like dirt/pond water like it did in the spring with heavy rain. It smells this way as well. I live in SE Bloomington in Hyde Park neighborhood and hear others are experiencing this as well. Thank you.

Assigned to
Tyler Steury

History

9/26/2022 14:25:01 Closed by Tyler Steury

The taste and odor event has passed.

Sent notification to Tyler Steury, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=181284 Closed by Tyler Steury The taste and odor event has passed.

8/30/2022 23:12:11 Tyler Steury contacted Anonymous

Kirsten, 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. 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

Sent notification to Tyler Steury, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=181284 Tyler Steury contacted Kirsten Neely Kirsten, 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. 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

8/30/2022 20:56:26 Anonymous assigned this case to Tyler Steury

Sent notification to Tyler Steury, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=181284 Anonymous assigned this case to Tyler Steury You can use the link to follow progress on this case.

8/30/2022 20:56:26 Opened by Anonymous