The City of Wilmington’s Water Division, now known as Wilmington Water, advises consumers that the City’s drinking water is experiencing temporary, seasonal taste and odor issues. Recent weather conditions have been ideal for algal growth in our source water, and an earthy odor and taste has been reported in the drinking water.
The water remains safe to drink because our treatment plants remove the algae, and the City operates a significant water quality monitoring program to ensure federal and state water quality standards are always met. Despite treatment, taste and odor issues can remain in the treated water, and the nose is particularly sensitive to this kind of odor.
The City is taking additional steps to address these aesthetic issues throughout our treatment processes. Also, an engineering analysis that evaluated additional treatment technologies was recently completed and recommended adding an enhanced capability to address these issues. However, the current issues will likely remain at some level until weather conditions improve and the ability for algae to grow in our source water is reduced.
The simplest way for consumers to reduce the taste and odor in their drinking water is to pour the water into a pitcher and refrigerate it overnight.
We apologize for the inconvenience. While the weather conditions creating the algal issues cannot be prevented, we will continue to explore long-term solutions.
For more information, please contact the City’s Water Quality Laboratory at (302) 571-4158 or email waterqualitylab@wilmingtonde.gov.
Original article posted on 07/08/2024 here.