Pioneer Press Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:08:31 -0600
St. Paul's tap water has better taste and smell
For east metro residents one sure sign of spring used to be the annual return of musty tap water. The problem was blamed on algae blooms that first show up when the ice starts to melt on a series of lakes that make up the St. Paul Regional Water Services watershed. But something funny happened last year â€" the taste and odor complaints never showed up. After getting 187 complaints about the taste and odor of tap water in 2006, St. Paul Regional Water Services reports that number dropped to 15 last year, a 92 percent decline. Similarly low numbers are expected this year. It appears that a novel experiment to improve the quality of local water is working. Two years ago, the water system began installing large carbon filters â€" think of a giant Brita water filtration system â€" in the tanks at its Maplewood headquarters. The $9.6 million project was aimed at cutting down on the fishy or musty smell that's dogged local tap water for years, and it appears to have worked. "We're very pleased with the initial results," said Steve Schneider, general manager of St. Paul Regional Water Services, which provides water for St. Paul and surrounding suburbs. In Minneapolis, taste and odor complaints are still coming at a rate of several a day, city spokesman Matt Laible said. The water is perfectly safe, however. "It's the runoff putting a lot of organic matter into the water supply," Laible said. St. Paul started working on the problem years ago, asking its 417,000 customers if they would be willing to pay for improved water. The response was overwhelmingly in favor, and water services began looking for a solution.[emphasis added]
[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Living;PropertyTax;Maplewood;]]
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