[ad_1]
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– Different sections of Lancaster County have started to notice strong odors and weird tastes in the water in homes. For some, it has been hard to drink the tap water in their homes.
“I filled my water bottle up getting ready to go to work and I take a sip of it and it just hit me, that’s a little bit off,” said Nick Istvanic of Lancaster City. “It doesn’t taste like normal.”
Separate from the city, nine other municipalities are served by the city water bureau. Those areas are Millersville Borough, East and West Lampeter, East and West Hempfield townships, Lancaster, Manheim, Manor and Pequea.
“Our water is safe,” said Stephan Campbell, Director of Public Works for the city. “It is not adversely affected by this smell.”
Campbell says low water levels in the Conestoga River have allowed a non-toxic algae to bloom, getting into the water that is used in homes. He credits the lack of rain for the algae showing up.
“Up to this point, we’ve only received about 19 inches of rain. Ordinarily, by this time of year we would’ve reached anywhere from 26 to 30 inches of rain,” said Campbell.
Smell and taste of water is not a top-level priority when deciding if the water is safe to drink says Campbell. However, he adds that the city is exceeding standards set by the DEP.
Is this something people should expect to see in the future?
“If we have long, dry summers or summers that don’t have a lot of precipitation, that’s when we are going to likely see it,” says Campbell.
Istvanic says for the time being he has to shift away from water at home.
“I stopped drinking from the tap water,” said Istvanic. “I’ve just been going [with] bottled water or when I get to work I fill up my water bottle there.”
[ad_2]
Source_link
