Article published August 11, 2009
Smelly Swanton water deemed safe to drink
Officials blame algae growing in reservoir
By DAVID PATCH
BLADE STAFF WRITER
SWANTON - While local officials say the village's funky-tasting water is safe to drink, residents have another word for it: undrinkable.
"You can't drink it. You certainly can't feed it to family or pets," said Gayle Sass, one of a half-dozen people who attended a Village Council meeting last night and protested the water's persistently dirt-like flavor and smell that remains after passing through Swanton's treatment plant.
Village leaders say the source is known: an unusually strong algae bloom in the reservoir.
Algae do not emerge from Swanton's treatment plant into pipes and homes, but the village is at a loss trying to neutralize the odor and taste - so much so that Mike Fields, the village's water superintendent, has called in an engineering firm to study the matter.
"It's sunny out, and there are nutrients in the water. It happens," Mr. Field said, though he acknowledged that it usually goes away a lot faster than it has this year.
Meanwhile, fast-food restaurants have stopped offering iced tea because of the water's odd taste, and resident Cynthia Sheparak said waiters at other restaurants in Swanton also have urged patrons to avoid the water."It's going to affect not only our businesses, but the reputation of the town," she said.
Amy Albert was one of several people to suggest water bills be discounted until the problem goes away.
"Your kitchen and your dishwasher smells from the water," Ms. Albert said. "You take a shower, and your whole bathroom smells."
"We can only do so much, and it's safe to drink," Mr. Fields said, describing taste and odor problems as "very difficult to combat."
Samples are tested every four hours, the water superintendent added. He invited residents to review the records at the treatment plant.
Some speakers said that if Swanton's water can't be made palatable, then the village water system should be connected to the Lucas County-Fulton County line running to North Star Bluescope Steel in Delta, which could be tapped just about a mile away.
Councilman Dave Pilliod said he could justify the $1 million estimated cost of making such a connection, but Mr. Fields said buying Lucas County water would be expensive and complicated.
The plant superintendent said he plans to try powder activated carbon and potassium permanganate to neutralize the water's flavor. He said it would be several days before the engineering firm Stantec makes a recommendations.
Meanwhile, Councilman Dave Pilliod said the village should send out letters to water customers explaining the problem and detailing the effort to solve it - "whatever we can do to let people know we're not just sitting on our duffs," he said.
"I'm drinking the water, and I think it tastes like dirt too," Councilman Pam Moore said. "But we're doing all we can."
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