Water Treatment Plant
 

»Water/Wastewater Committee


 

Duane Jarrett, Supervisor
2445 Hanging Limb Highway
Monterey, 1N 38574

(931) 839-3339








Monterey Water Customers
Customers of Monterey Water System have reported issues with earthy and or moldy smells in their water. The water is safe to drink and use for all purposes. This is a fall occurrence and Monterey Water is working to treat and remove these objectionable smells.

Is my water safe to drink?

Yes. The odor and taste of the water is purely aesthetic. Monterey’s water remains safe to drink and use. The water continues to surpass all regulatory standards that are set for safety.

What’s the cause of the smell?

Monterey draws water from a lake impoundment. Due to drought conditions the water is not running over the dam and is setting in place. This along with the recent cooler temperatures has caused a lake turnover. When a lake turnover happens, water from the bottom of the lake is rolled up to the top bringing sediment and organic matter throughout the water column. This old sediment and organic matter are what’s causing the objectionable qualities.
What is being done to remove the taste and odor?
Water treatment operators at Monterey have 2 chemicals on hand to combat bad taste and odor in the water. They use chlorine dioxide and powdered carbon. Both of these chemicals are being fed at max feed rates to help mitigate the smell. The water plant flows have also been reduced to allow more contact time to occur with the chemicals. Unfortunately, during some lake events the treatment process needed for aesthetics can overload the powdered activated carbon and some taste and odor will get through. Monterey is removing a magnitude of foul smells from the water but some objectionable quality still abides. Monterey asks for patience during this time as we work thru this situation. The amount of time for the lake to improve could consist of a few days to a few weeks. As the lake stabilizes the raw water quality will improve and that will directly lead to an improvement in the finished water. Monterey also supplies hundreds of miles water lines and it will take time for displacement of the water thru the pipes.

What can I do at home to minimize the odors?

A small standard home filtration system that uses carbon and attaches to the faucet or a pour thru style may help to mitigate the odor during this time.
 

 

About the Water Treatment Plant
 

The focus of the Water and Sewer Committee is water treatment and distribution and waste water management.

 

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Water/Wastewater Committee