Bloomington council authorizes powered‑activated carbon system after extended discussion of taste and odor problems

The Bloomington City Council voted to waive formal bidding and authorize a contract with Kemco Systems Inc. for a permanent powered‑activated carbon system to treat taste-and-odor compounds in the city’s drinking water.

City water director Ed Andrews told the council the treatment purchase is intended to address unusually high readings of 2 common taste-and-odor compounds — MIB and geosmin — recorded this season. Andrews said the city recorded a new MIB reading of about 300 nanograms per liter at Lake Bloomington and about 550 nanograms per liter at Lake Evergreen and has been drawing primarily from Evergreen since Jan. 31.

“Safe water has always been our main objective,” Andrews said, describing work the department has done to add temporary PAC feed, increase the number of filters operating and pursue a permanent system with a 12‑plus month manufacturing lead time. He told council staff expect the permanent unit to ship in March with training and setup in early April and that the temporary manual system requires near‑constant bag feed at current treatment rates.

Finance director Scott Rathbun and water staff described short-term and longer-term steps. The city has begun on‑site temporary PAC use, purchased additional bulk carbon, and is pursuing laboratory contracts to shorten sample turnaround so operators can pace PAC dosing more accurately. Staff said current laboratory turnaround and weekly sample timing have limited the department’s ability to adjust dosing quickly.

Council members pressed staff on supply reliability, operating cost and timelines. Council member Mosley asked whether other cities would be competing for the same equipment; Andrews said utilities that already operate PAC have established supply lines and the city had procured a bulk contract bid for May 1 to secure feedstock. Council member Lee asked about equipment lifespan; Andrews said mechanical components are expected to be in service “easily 10 to 20 years” and the silo should be long‑lived. Council member Hendricks moved to approve the contract authorization; Council member Ward seconded the motion. The item passed on the council’s roll‑call voting system; the council did not read a roll‑call tally into the record.

Why it matters: the PAC system is designed to reduce algae‑byproduct concentrations that cause a persistent objectionable taste and odor; water staff also plan upstream lake‑management actions and a coordinated monitoring program with university and federal partners to address recurring algae blooms rather than only treating water at the plant.

Clarifying details: the contract amount is for an amount not to exceed $755,132; staff reported an estimated near‑term carbon “burn rate” of roughly $15,000–$20,000 per week while the bloom remains severe; temporary manual PAC use is being phased out once the permanent system is online; the city has applied for related permits and is coordinating with IEPA for lake sampling and with vendors for equipment procurement.

Staff said they will publish updated sampling data and project timelines on the city website and that a citizen taste committee may be formed after the permanent system is installed to set target thresholds and evaluate the utility’s baseline.