Local News
City of Airdrie says earthy tap water taste or smell caused by natural compound
Some Airdrie residents may notice an earthy or musty taste or smell in their tap water, a change the city says is linked to a harmless natural compound called geosmin. The City of Airdrie said in a Facebook post last week that the issue is due to higher levels of geosmin — “a natural compound produced by algae, bacteria and fungi commonly found in surface water.” Because Airdrie’s water comes from Calgary, the city said residents “may notice a temporary earthy or musty taste or smell.” Calgary’s drinking water “continues to meet — and exceed — Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines,” the post added. “There are no health concerns.” According to the City of Calgary, geosmin is a “harmless, naturally occurring compound” that can be detected by some people “at very low levels, as low as five parts per trillion.” “If you’re sensitive to the changes, we recommend keeping a pitcher of water with lemon slices in the fridge or using an activated charcoal filter,” Calgary’s website said. Both cities said the taste and odour issues are temporary and should fade as water temperatures drop in the fall. Airdrie purchases its treated water from Calgary, which supplies it through three transmission lines to the city’s three reservoirs and 264 kilometres of distribution mains, according to Airdrie’s website. Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon. Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM. DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. To hear more on this story and others, stream us live here.