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Taste and Odor Concerns
Reports of an earthy taste and odor in the water supplied to residents in southern Beaufort and Jasper County (Hardeeville) by the Purrysburg Water Treatment Plant is caused by a naturally occurring algae bloom in the raw water from the Savannah River that typically occur in the early spring. It is an aesthetic problem and not a health hazard. BJWSA's tap water continues to be safe to drink during these episodes.

Taste and odor episodes are caused by the presence of two naturally-occurring algae called geosmin and methylisoborneol (MIB) at extremely low levels (measured in parts per trillion). Geosmin and MIB are not harmful to public health and the Authority's water quality is not otherwise affected.

The Authority is taking steps to lessen the algae bloom's affects by treating the water with powder activated carbon to absorb the taste and odor, which acts like those charcoal filters. This treatment is safe for consumers and has produced good results in the past.

MIB and geosmin are produced in freshwaters throughout the world. Typically MIB and geosmin levels increase in spring months when the warmer weather accelerates the growth of algae.


CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection -
BJWSA has contracted for a high-speed telephone emergency notification services that can deliver to up to 60,000 calls per hour of a pre-recorded emergency telephone notification messages. To ensure no one is omitted, BJWSA urges all individuals and businesses to register their phone numbers, including cell phones, by clicking the CodeRED logo to the left of this page, under the navigation menu and follow the directions to enter your data.