QUINCY, ILL. -- Some residents in the city of Quincy have noticed something a little off with the water coming out of the tap.
For some, the water looked funny ... for others, it had a funny taste.
Many took to Facebook to see if they were alone in their discovery.
We now know that we have brown algae in the water due to a lack of rain.
According to Director of Utilities David Kent, in situations as this, when they go to chlorinate the water to make it drinkable, it gives the water a more earthy, musty smell and taste.
For this reason, they must add a powder-activated carbon to get rid of that mustiness and make it taste better. The powder-activated carbon itself is very expensive ... almost worth its weight in gold.
The water filtration plant received calls about the issue and Kent noted that this does happen several times a year, although this is the first time it has happened so late in the year.
The water filtration plant has started the treatment and it will take several days to have an effect.
The water is safe to drink.
Quincy's water filtration plant treats on average about 7.5 million gallons of water daily.
They have a customer base of around 17,000 customers.
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