Tuesday, August 21, 2001-page3

Smelly water is Safe, says Medford Water

- Yes there has been a noticeable odor in our water this past week. According to the Medford Water Commission, who supplies Eagle Point and White City (and several cities) with water, the musty odor and taste is due to the presence of a natural algae by-product called geosmin . It does not pose a health concern, according to the Medford Water Commission. The problem is caused by warm temperatures and fluctuating river levels. During the summer, water is taken out of the Rogue River as well as Big Butte Springs.

- They were making treatment adjustments in an effort to minimize the taste and odor, but said the existing conventional treatment processes at the Robert A Duff Water Treatment are unable to effectively remove high levels of geomin.

- Construction of an ozonation facility is scheduled for this winter, primarily to address this concen. Bids were opened Aug. 9 for the project. It is scheduled for completion in June.

- If the water has been sitting in household pipes for a while, it may be beneficial to let the tap run briefly. Pouring water between two clean containes and/or refrigerating it in a loosely covered container can also help get rid of the smell and tase.

- The best treatment will be cooler days and rain, but they may be a while coming.

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