9/26/2022 13:48:17 Closed by Tyler Steury
The taste and odor event has passed.
Other: Our tap water has smelled and tasted like a pond for over a week. We’ve asked friends and it’s hit or miss who is having water problems but it’s all over the city.
The taste and odor event has passed.
Julia, 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 in 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
City | Bloomington |
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State | IN |
Zip | 47401 |
Latitude | 39.152400970459 |
Longitude | -86.51082611084 |
Neighborhood Association | SoMax |
Township | Perry |