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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 and odor. “The water leaving the plant is actually tasting and smelling pretty good,” Daniel said, while adding that a “very, very slight odor” remained and that staff expect further improvement as activated carbon works through the system.
Daniel warned that geosmin has a very low human detection threshold — about four parts per trillion — making even small concentrations noticeable. He said the city is also flushing transmission mains, working down corridors and into neighborhoods to move treated water through the distribution system.
Separately, council members asked about large unpaid water bills at several apartment complexes. A councilmember said Jolie Apartments is “about 480 units” and that the $100 per‑unit deposit (about $48,000 at that rate) is insufficient given an outstanding balance the councilmember estimated at “$200,000 to $300,000.” Daniel described operational steps the department is taking, including an 85‑day cutoff policy for accounts that remain unpaid and stronger enforcement measures the department plans to put into ordinance.
Councilmembers said they will request another audit and legislative changes to allow more effective collection; one member said an ordinance to require individual meters for apartment tenants is in development and would address the underlying problem by allowing tenants to pay their own bills rather than relying on property owners.
Why it matters: Persistent taste and odor issues can affect public confidence in the water supply and local businesses (restaurants) and require treatment changes and capital work at the plant. Large unpaid commercial water accounts affect utility revenue and can shift costs to other ratepayers.
What’s next: The department will continue flushing and activated‑carbon treatment, provide requested breakdowns of bills and deposits, and the council said it will pursue audit and ordinance changes to strengthen collections and consider tenant meters.
