Several solutions in place to eliminate odor problems within Bloomington’s drinking water

BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) — Bloomington’s water department started implementing short-term solutions this week after receiving complaints of an “earthy” smell and taste in the city’s water for nearly a month.

As previously reported, the Bloomington Water Department switched its source after water levels in one supply lake dropped. Water Director Ed Andrews said they routinely switch between Lake Bloomington and Lake Evergreen to avoid drought and overflow.

When the department made that switch at the start of the month, testing samples showed traces of algae at six nanograms per liter. Andrews said his department doesn’t get complaints when that number is under 10. Most recent tests show 480 nanograms per liter, giving the water an odor.

“It’s not an acceptable situation related to the taste and odor issues we’re experiencing, but we hope to find not only a short-term solution but a long-term solution so that the next time we change lakes, we do not go through this again,” said City Manager Jeff Jurgens.

The city’s water department has already begun implementing solutions.

The department currently uses a granular activated carbon (GAC) system, which includes running water over eight charcoal filter beds to ensure it’s clean.

To limit the bad taste, Andrews said they’ve nearly doubled the beds to give the water more contact with the GAC. However, that won’t be enough.

Andrews said another short-term solution they’re trying is rebooting the old powdered activated carbon (PAC) feed system, which has sat unused since the early 2000s.

“Part of why that equipment was let go idle is [because] it’s very small and limited in capacity. It’s a manual feed system, so literally 50-pound bags are dumped into a shoot and mixed, and it’s only effective to a certain degree,” said Andrews.

Andrews said the department’s chemical supplier will visit the lakes on Friday to determine the appropriate PAC product for effective temporary treatment.

Equipment for a more permanent solution about a year out but would keep city staff from fighting this battle in the coming years. The idea includes a 40-foot tall, 14-foot diameter PAC silo.

“We would have more volume at hand, similar to what we’re talking about on that temporary, but we would mix that material on site and blend it there at the plant,” said Andrews.

Andrews hopes to provide the Bloomington City Council with a contract at the next regular meeting, so they can order the silo, which will take almost 12 months to manufacture.

The GAC system costs the city $155,000 a year to operate. City staff believes a new PAC silo would cost almost $1 million annually.

Andrews said the good news is the recent rate increase will pick up most of the construction expenses, so customers won’t have to worry about another one.

“We had budgeted, over the next five to 10 years, $50 million in plant improvements, and fortunately, with that first round of the rate increase in place as of last May, we would be able to pick up at least the PAC silo,” said Andrews.

Once the temporary PAC supplies arrive, Andrews estimates people will taste the difference in 10 days. Until then, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the water is still safe to drink.

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