With apologies to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
You know, now that I think about it, it does stink. Especially the hot water in the shower:
“Water’s harmless taste, odor caused by algae.
“Some Austin Water Utility (AWU) customers may notice an unusual taste or odor in their tap water as the result of odor-causing algae growth in Lake Austin and Town Lake.
“The algae growth is likely due to recent warm weather and low flow through the lakes. AWU officials emphasize that any unusual taste or odor in the City’s tap water is harmless to consumers and that the water is safe to drink.
“AWU is using powdered activated carbon to neutralize taste or odors as much as possible. … Austin’s tap water continues to meet all regulatory standards, and AWU officials stress that the Austin Water Utility water is safe to drink despite taste or odor fluctuations.”
“It seems like we’ve had more and more of this lately, with a similar incident happening last year.
This article appears in March 2 • 2007.