BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — The city of Bloomington’s Water Department announced it will temporarily switch its water source from Lake Evergreen to Lake Bloomington next week.
The switch will be happening while Lake Evergreen is treated for algae on Wednesday and Thursday, said city spokeswoman Katherine Murphy.
The water department switched to Lake Evergreen in January due to the water levels in Lake Bloomington being too low for use. After this, many residents began to report a bad taste and smell from the water.
The change in the taste and smell was determined to be caused by the amount of Methylisoborneol in the Lake. The Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority said Methylisoborneol is produced by algae and bacteria, which creates an earthy or musty smell.
Last week, the city treated Lake Bloomington for algae, and HAB toxin levels have gone down in the lake.
“This is part of our ongoing effort to keep our water supply in the best possible shape,” said Ed Andrews, the city’s water director. “Now that conditions have improved at Lake Bloomington, we can safely use it as our source while we treat Evergreen Lake. Once the process is complete, we’ll be able to run from either lake.”
Since the switch in January, rainfall has helped refill Lake Bloomington, though it remains below its full levels. The water source is expected to switch back to Lake Evergreen after about a week.
The water department is expected to continue to monitor both lakes closely through the process.
WMBD TV can be reached at [email protected].
