CBU confirms cause of recent taste and odor complaints

BLOOMINGTON Water samples collected by the City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) have returned results that confirm that naturally occurring organic chemicals Geosmin and Methyl-Isoborneol (MIB) are causing the series of taste and odor complaints CBU has received since Friday, September 10 from across the service area.

This taste and odor is not a health concern, but an aesthetic issue that is not uncommon for communities using lakes as their water source. In the past, it was a regular occurrence for CBU to receive these complaints throughout much of the summer and fall. These complaints are the first received since 2017 when CBU began adding powdered activated carbon (PAC) at the Monroe Water Treatment Plant.  

CBU tests drinking water multiple times each day for many different quality parameters at sites across the distribution system and at the water treatment plant to ensure the water continues to be safe to drink.  Annual water quality reports and current data are available at https://bloomington.in.gov/utilities/water-quality.

Customers who have further questions should contact CBU’s water quality team. The 24-hour line is 812-339-1444 or customers can send an alert through the uReport system at bloomington.in.gov/ureport