Taste and Odor in Water Being Combatted

by Jack McCurdy

The main source of Morro Bay’s water—the Central Coast Water Authority (CCWA), which gets state water and distributes it to local cities like Morro Bay—has installed a new powdered activated carbon (PAC) dosing system that is designed to remove organic compounds in water, which can cause unpleasant taste and odor in water used to drink, wash or irrigate.

Although the PAC system is currently controlling the taste and odor potency, it didn’t completely stop city water from having such taste and odor last month. But without the PAC system it could have been a lot worse because the water coming from the state was at historic levels in organics that generate those tastes and smells. The new carbon dosing system probably prevented water delivered to Morro Bay from being intolerable to virtually all residents last month.

Right now, that new system is expected by CCWA staff to head off tastes and smells that are objectionable to all but a few people (for some, the water always is acceptable in such cases)—unless the algae hit ANOTHER new high. The problem with the state’s water is that the current long drought serves to create conditions where algae growth has become challenging. Until the drought ends, no telling what will happen with water quality.

(And no telling whether enough water will be available to supply the Morro Bay population, whether state or local water, which is why at the planned new water reclamation facility is so critically-important to Morro Bay residents, who need their own supply without having to rely on state-provided water—as all community-minded people agree.)

The CCWA was already preparing to deal with the unacceptable odor and taste of the water in July when it began to budget for development of the PAC, said John Brady, deputy director of operations of CCWA. The PAC turns small chunks of carbon into powder, which is then blended by machine to create a slurry or a kind of cream for use in treating the water to be tested and distributed to area cities if the tests show it meets minimum standards.

In its explanation of efforts to deal with the odor and taste issues, CCWA stated that it will “increase testing and treatment until levels drop to an acceptable level” before distributing the water to Morro Bay and other cities. That means water in Morro Bay will likely be very drinkable—again, unless the infestation of algae in the supply of state water that CCWA receives explodes.

You can read an overall report to Morro Bay residents here Drinking Water—Taste and Odor UPDATE.