City Issues Drinking Water Update About Taste, Odor Issue
“Wilmington’s Department of Public Works today issued the following statement concerning a temporary seasonal taste and odor issue with the City’s drinking water. Water customers are advised that their water remains safe to drink while the City addresses the issue.
Please be advised that the City is experiencing a seasonal taste and odor issue with the drinking water. Because of increased algae in our source water, an earthy taste and smell can be detected.
Your water remains safe to drink because our water treatment plants remove the algae. We operate significant water quality monitoring programs to ensure federal and state water quality standards are always met.
However, some of the taste- and odor-causing metabolites may remain. Even though these compounds are harmless, they can cause taste and smell issues because the human nose is especially sensitive to the smell.
While we are taking steps to address the issue, the metabolites are likely to remain until weather conditions reduce the presence of algae in our source water.
We apologize for the inconvenience. As we investigate long-term solutions, one step customers can take in the short-term to help reduce taste and odor issues is to pour their tap water into a pitcher and refrigerate it overnight.”
