Naturally occurring compounds from algae nearly out of system
Some City of Bartlesville water customers have reported an unusual taste and odor in their tap water recently, the result of naturally occurring compounds in Hudson Lake making their way into the water system.
While safe for humans and fish, Geosmin and Methyl-Isoborneol (MIB) can be detected by some people at very low levels while others can’t taste or smell them at all, Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said today.
“Some people are sensitive to it and others are completely unaware of its presence,” said Lauritsen. “It isn’t harmful — it’s not even measured by water regulating bodies — but both compounds can produce an ‘earthy,’ ‘fishy,’ or ‘dirt-like’ taste and odor, which, of course, can be unpleasant for people who can detect it.”
Lauritsen said the compounds are released by algae constituents in the lake and can be difficult to manage when temperatures increase quickly or when water levels rise quickly due to heavy rainfall — both of which have occurred in the Bartlesville area in recent weeks. The good news, he said, is that the compounds have worked their way through the system quickly.
“These compounds have already been mostly cleared from the system,” he said. “There could be some detection over the new few days but it is resolving quickly.”
Lauritsen said the lake has been treated to help keep the problem from occurring in the future.
“We treated the lake with an environmentally friendly algaecide a couple weeks ago and that should neutralize these taste and odor compounds,” he said. “It takes about a week for this treatment to fully take effect.”
For more information about taste or odor issues, contact the Water Utilities Department at 918.338.4104.