You may have noticed changes in the taste and odor of your tap water lately.

These changes are not harmful and are due to an increase in naturally occurring substances, geosmin and MIB, caused by the strong wind we had earlier, changes in the weather and higher rainfall amounts. Since geosmin and MIB levels fluctuate with temperature, rain, and water levels, customers may have noticed the odor was stronger at certain times than others. This is completely normal.

Geosmin and MIB odors are naturally occurring and not toxic. Because the human nose can detect their concentrations at very low levels, some customers notice grassy or earthy tastes or odors in the tap water.

The City of Carthage continually monitors water quality parameters at the plant and makes treatment updates accordingly to minimize the taste and odor issues. However, individuals sensitive to it may continue to experience unusual taste and odor in the water.

We perform many laboratory tests on our water every day, which results in thousands of laboratory tests on our water every year, on samples from all of our water treatment plants and from hundreds of different locations throughout our distribution system. Despite the taste and odor issues, Carthage’s water consistently meets or exceeds the Safe Drinking Water Act Standards throughout all of our testing.