Ontario city’s water may taste ‘musty or earthy’ due to seasonal change, officials advise

The City of Owen Sound is advising residents that water in the area may taste “musty or earthy” in late August to early September.

The city said it is not uncommon for the water to have short-term taste and odour issues as Georgian Bay temperatures hit their seasonal peak.

The changes are often noticeable as there is an increase in chlorine’s taste or odour, the city said.

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“This is a common occurrence in many Ontario municipalities, such as Owen Sound, which gets its water supply from surface water sources and experiences this problem periodically,” the city said.

“While changes in taste and odour may be unpleasant for some with sensitive senses, these changes only affect the water’s aesthetic qualities and do not impact its safety.”

The city said there are several factors to the change. Higher water temperature requires higher levels of chlorination to treat. As well, seasonal biological changes in the source water can produce odour-causing chemical compounds called geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol.

They did note tap water from the municipal water supply systems remains safe to drink during that time.