Columbia working to resolve taste and smell issues in tap water

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The City of Columbia Water and Sewer said they are working to correct a water quality issue.

Officials said recently they’ve received complaints about earthy smells and tastes from customer tap water. The strange smells and tastes are the result of algae that grows in Lake Murray and Broad River during the summer months. They said it is safe to drink.

They said the two most common compounds are geosmin and 2-methylisoborneal (MIB). Officials said they are harmless but are easily detected by smell and taste even at low concentrations.

Odors can be reduced at home through refrigerating water before consumption and adding lemon juice.

Because the compounds are difficult to remove using normal methods they are using activated carbon to remove them. More information about the process and what is causing the smells can be found at the link here.

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