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STINKY WATER PROBLEM UNDER CONTROL FOR NOW
By: JACQUE HILBURN, Staff Writer
12/22/2005

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Stinky water is back, but officials with Tyler Water Utilities say they have it somewhat under control.

“We’ve had six to eight complaints since the first of December,” said Greg Morgan, TWU director. “We average about eight a month. We test the water every three days to check geosmin rates.”

Geosmin, a byproduct of blue-green algae, has been blamed for recurring bouts of weird-smelling water that flows through the city’s $52 million Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant.

The substance tastes similar to dirt and appears to be about as palatable.

And now it’s back.

“At this point in time, Lake Palestine is offline,” Morgan said. “We took it offline on the 20th. Right now, because demand levels are so low, we plan to leave it off line until demand levels increase.”

Weather and demand requirements will be the deciding factors on timing.

“Possibility we could bring it on line as early as February if we don’t get any rain,” Morgan said.

At this point, the geosmin issue is limited to Lake Palestine, one of the city’s two drinking water sources. No detectable amounts have been found in Lake Tyler, Morgan said.

Although the algae has not been deemed a hazard to humans, it seems to cause a few recurring headaches for Tyler city leaders.

Officials were forced to shut down the treatment plant last Christmas after geosmin began to accumulate near an intake valve.

Persistent treatment cleared the problem, but yucky water complaints returned in August. The problem cleared before a precise cause was pinpointed, but complaint calls started up again this week .

Since Tuesday, there have been detectable amounts of geosmin found in raw water, but not in treated water that flows to households, Morgan said.

Officials said that means the treatment method is working, but they don’t seem to be taking any chances on the problem recurring amid holiday festivities. Algae issues can occur when unseasonably warm weather encourages growth.

And the problem can be worse in some service areas compared to others because Tyler’s water system is on a loop, and no one area is served solely by one treatment plant.Water from Lake Palestine is pumped to the Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant, where it is filtered, disinfected and then redistributed.

When the Lake Palestine plant is closed, production is shifted to the Golden Road Treatment Plant, which relies on Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East as water sources.

Other cities rely on Tyler to meet demands of its water consumption as well, including Whitehouse and Walnut Grove.

Even with a lack of rain, officials do not predict capacity problems.

The city’s $52 million investment in its water treatment capabilities is expected to satisfy the area’s drinking needs for the next 80 years, officials estimate.

A Drinking Water Quality Report issued as a requirement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, previously ranked Tyler’s water as “outstanding.”

Jacque Hilburn covers Tyler city government, planning and zoning and the Parks Board. She can be reached at 903.596.6282. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com