Sask. residents could soon have relief from musty water, but experts ask people to remain wary of lakes

There's a musty smell, an odd taste and a different look to water in Regina and Moose Jaw. The treatment plant responsible for the two cities says it will be getting rid of those problems by the end of July.

This isn't the first time residents of both the cities have noticed the odour.

The Water Security Agency (WSA), the provincial body that oversees water resources in Saskatchewan, said the taste and smell don't affect the water quality.

"We don't see an issue here as far as meeting the drinking water guidelines," Patrick Boyle, a spokesperson with the agency, said in an emailed response. 

The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant, which services both cities, measures odour and taste. Ryan Johnson, CEO and president for the plant, said this summer's levels have been on the higher end of the indicator.

"When it gets to this level, we're getting feedback from everybody. There's no doubt that right now the taste and odour is not acceptable," he said.

Smell comes from algae bloom 

Johnson said warmer temperatures have led to a blue-green algae bloom in the water supply.

He said the plant is in the process of replacing its granulated activated carbon (GAC) filtration system with biological activated carbon (BAC) filters. They offer a year-round solution because, unlike the GACs, they don't need to be recharged, Johnson said.

The renovated system will help them get rid of the issues for at least the next 25 years, starting at the end of July, he said.

"It doesn't matter how safe the water is, if people find it has an odour to it or taste to it, people are less likely to use it, so it's really important for us to have water that smells and tastes good," he said.

The upgrade is a part of a $325-million renewal project. Johnson said 60 per cent of the project has been completed.

As of Thursday, the plant was temporarily using powdered activated carbon to help cut the mustiness in water. Johnson said the problem with that method is that it doesn't eliminate the taste and odour, but reduces the severity of it.

Algae blooms still threatening

While the WSA and the treatment facility say the treated water is safe for drinking, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) recommended checking for signs of blue-green algae before taking a dip in an open water body.

Maurice Hennink, a medical health officer with the SHA, said the algae remains a major cause of worry due to its impact on people and animals going out for a swim.

"If you swallow some, certainly nausea, vomiting, and so on. Usually humans, though, don't swallow a large amount of lake water," he said.

"But dogs, pets, and certainly cattle and other animals may use it as a drinking water source, and then can be affected by the toxins present."

The province said the algae is cyanobacteria, capable of producing toxins that can cause liver damage, gastroenteritis, and even death if ingested by livestock.

Peter Leavitt, Canada Research Chair in environmental change and society at the University of Regina, said he has monitored Saskatchewan lakes for traces of cyanobacteria for the last 31 years.

Leavitt said his team will be doing a survey of Saskatchewan lakes this summer. The last survey was completed in 2013, and found 40 per cent of about 110 surveyed lakes had toxin levels that were above the World Health Organization's threshold for drinking water.

He said about 15 per cent of the lakes were deemed to be too risky to be touched, and roughly four per cent were considered acutely toxic. Just treating drinking water, Leavitt said, is a "Band-Aid solution" that doesn't address the larger issue. 

"You're going to get very poor water quality in the future," he said. "That is not a certainty because scientists don't like to be certain about things, but man, I would bet the farm on this one."

Leavitt said nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus can exacerbate the growth of cyanobacteria in the lakes. He said the province isn't monitoring excess runoff nutrients from farms surrounding the lakes.

Among other things, Leavitt said the province needs to formulate agricultural policies to reduce runoff from agricultural fields, cut urban releases and decrease septic field releases.

The WSA posts water advisories, but Leavitt said the advisories don't entirely do the job. 

"The problem is there's many more water bodies than there are people to monitor them and so you get into this issue that you probably don't know for every single lake," he said. "A good rule of thumb is if there's two inches of thick scum on it, just don't bother going in it."

The WSA has asked everyone to avoid direct contact with water — for them and their pets — if they believe they've seen blue-green algae in a body of water.