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Water department says geosmin spike behind taste/odor problems; council presses on unpaid large apartment bills
Summary
City water officials told the committee that an unusually large geosmin (earthy) event in Cross Lake has produced persistent taste and odor problems; staff reactivated activated‑carbon treatment and are flushing mains. Council members also pressed the department about large unpaid commercial apartment water bills and proposed ordinance changes.
City water officials told the Planning and Infrastructure Committee Feb. 25 that unusually high levels of geosmin — an organic compound that causes an earthy smell and taste — are behind recent complaints about Cross Lake water, and that treatment and flushing measures are underway.
William Daniel, director of the Water and Sewer Department, said the lake’s geosmin readings this season are “well in excess of anything that we’ve ever had” and that the city’s treatment plant was not originally designed to treat numbers this high. He said the treatment team restarted an activated‑carbon system and is using ozone as appropriate to reduce taste…
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