Analysis confirms algae in river as cause of odd taste, odor in Danville drinking water

Analysis confirms algae in river as cause of odd taste, odor in Danville drinking water (Image 1) (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

DANVILLE (WSLS 10) - The City of Danville has received confirmation that the taste and odor issues in the city's drinking water are due to the presence of algal blooms in the Dan River, the source of the city's drinking water. 

Officials say these blooms now have passed. City water treatment plant operators have not noticed abnormal odor in the raw water for nearly one week. They say they're still feeding carbon as a precautionary measure. 

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"We are running odor tests on the raw and treated water and taste tests on the treated water multiple times each day," Interim Director of Utilities Jason Grey said in a written statement, released on Tuesday. "It still may take more days yet for the taste and odor to be purged out of the system due to the long detention time that the water has in the storage tanks and distribution system."

Grey added that when the taste and odor are no longer present from the cold water, customers still may notice odor in their hot water due to the trapped gases in the hot water heater.

"It will take a little longer for the hot water heater to purge the odor out," Grey said.   

The city continues testing the treated water leaving the plant for regulated contaminants. Those tests continue to show the water is safe to drink.