City of Everett Acknowledges “Strange Taste and Smell” To Drinking Water

Recently the City of Everett has received complaints of a strange smell and taste in its drinking water. The cause is apparently an algae bloom. Here’s the official explanation from Marla Carter at Everett Public Works…

An algae bloom in Lake Chaplain Reservoir—the drinking water source for much of Snohomish County—has resulted in numerous reports of unpleasant water tastes or odors. Everett staff is working to resolve the issue, which is purely aesthetic and has no impact on the safety of the drinking water.

Algae blooms are fairly common in Lake Chaplain Reservoir, but typically later in the summer. Normally, the Everett Water Filtration Plant shifts to deep intakes in the lake to avoid upper layers of water with the highest concentration of algae. However, this year the bloom moved deeper into the reservoir, leading to an increase in the intensity and duration of the bloom.

Everett staff is monitoring the situation and the algae bloom appears to be subsiding. In the interim, the filtration plant will begin drawing water directly from Spada Lake Reservoir.

“Currently Spada Lake Reservoir does not contain the same algae compounds as Lake Chaplain Reservoir; therefore, the situation should improve as water works its way through the water system,” said Dave Davis, public works director. “In the meantime, the public can be confident that we are testing the water and that it is safe to drink.”

You can learn more about where and how Everett gets its drinking water here.