You’re right, your Columbia tap water does taste funny. Here’s why
If you’ve noticed an odd taste or smell to your Columbia area tap water, it’s not just in your head.
The first thing you should know is the water is safe to drink, according to a Twitter thread posted by Columbia Water officials Tuesday.
“Columbia Water customers who are served from the Columbia Canal Water Treatment Plant may have noticed an earthy smell or taste to their tap water recently,” the thread begins.
“While it is a nuisance, there are no safety issues with the water,” the thread continues.
The cause stems from compounds in naturally-occurring algae growth during summer months that are common in the Broad River and Lake Murray.
The human senses of taste and smell are more sensitive to two of those compounds (geosmin and 2-methylisoborneal) according to Columbia Water. It takes very low concentrations of the compounds to produce a change in water taste or smell. Humans can detect them in as low concentrations as five parts per trillion, according to Columbia Water.
The compounds are “extremely difficult” to remove from water during the normal treatment process. Water officials are using activated carbon to reduce the presence of those compounds in city water.
While Columbia Water officials work to reduce the smelly compounds, residents are advised to add lemon juice and chill their water to make it taste better, according to the water department website.
