Some people have been noticing an odd taste or smell to their drinking water in West Michigan in recent days.

The odor and taste are being treated and the water is safe to drink.

The bad-tasting drinking water has been found in a number of West Michigan communities, but it's nothing unusual for this time of year.

Lake Michigan is warming up and as it warms algae is growing in the lake. That algae is giving the odd taste and smell to drinking water that comes from Lake Michigan.

The water is safe to drink.

The algae is a seasonal condition common in summer and in early fall.

The City of Wyoming explains that the water is safe and how it is treated:

The molecules responsible for these off-tastes are completely harmless, and your water remains safe to drink.

The City is able to treat for this condition by adding activated carbon right at the plant. The activated carbon adsorbs the taste and odor compounds and then is removed in the flocculation step. Other than this, however, the only other means of dealing with this problem is waiting for conditions in the lake to change and for the existing water in the distribution system to be used up.

Glad to hear it's safe and that the odd taste should go away with time.

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