Utility Responds To 'Sulfur' Water Near Detroit

The utility serving the suburbs south of Detroit responded this month after residents said their tap water smelled and tasted like sulfur.

Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) officials “said the problem has been traced to a temporary spike in water particulates during a routine cleaning of the settling basins at the GLWA's Southwest Water Treatment plant,” Michigan Radio reported.

GLWA CEO Sue McCormick said the cleaning was halted after the problems began, according to Michigan Radio. The utility added powdered activated carbon to the system to combat the issue. Water staff also flushed the system, and will continue flushing until the problem is resolved. The utility also amped up its water quality testing schedule.

“The Great Lakes Water Authority will cover the cost of volume increases related to the flushing,” Michigan Live reported.

So far, officials report that their approach has been effective.

"These actions have resulted in a significant decrease in the number of complaints being received by GLWA," McCormick said, per Michigan Radio. "At no time were there any health or safety concerns.”

The investigation into the taste and odor problem began at the Southwest Water Treatment Facility.

“GLWA has concluded that the SW Facility experienced a temporary spike in turbidity levels in the water at the beginning of the treatment process and associated with the normal cleaning of its settling basins,” McCormick said in a statement.

“The Authority has also established protocols that will prevent the issue from occurring again,” she added.

Given their proximity to Flint, MI, customers in the Detroit suburbs had major concerns when their water began tasting and smelling strange, according to The Detroit News:

The water quality concerns last week drew comparisons to the Flint water crisis. Lead contamination was found there and a Legionnaires’ outbreak resulting in 12 deaths has been linked to the Genesee County city’s transition from the Detroit water system to Flint River water in 2014. But officials emphasized that [the] water is safe and “at no time were there any health or safety concerns.”

For similar stories visit Water Online’s Odor Control Solutions Center.