Is Your Tap Water Tasting Funny? Algae is Blooming at a Marin Reservoir

Marin Municipal Water District officials are working today to treat an algae bloom in the Nicasio Reservoir that has given tap water a funny taste.

MMWD Spokesperson Libby Pischel said some with more sensitive taste buds may have noticed their water “tastes off.”

“It doesn’t have that great taste that people expect from our water,” Pischel said.

The algae bloom happens on a cyclical basis when the reservoir, located roughly five miles east of Point Reyes Station, gets a lot of sun, Pischel said. “When [the algae] breaks down it creates that taste issue. We are out there treating the water today and the taste issue should be resolved pretty quickly.”

Workers are treating the reservoir with copper sulfate, Pischel said.

Pischel said water from the Nicasio Reservoir goes to the San Geronimo treatment plant, which serves some of San Rafael, San Geronimo Valley and Ross Valley.

The taste may be extra noticeable to some because the last few days Kent Lake water was predominately sent to residents while the Nicasio water was turned off for unrelated repairs.

Kent Lake doesn’t have the algae concern because it’s a deeper reservoir, Pischel said.

The system can easily blend water from different reservoirs (such as combining water from Kent and Nicasio), but water from Bon Tempe usually feeds Southern Marin, Pischel said.

Have you noticed the different taste of your tap water?

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