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Columbia Water hopes new measures will fix bad odor, taste in coming days

The musty or earthy taste is caused by certain types of algae that grow in Lake Murray and Broad River during the summer months, Columbia water says.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia Water is taking new measures to improve taste and smell issues that have been plaguing customers.

According to Robert Yanity, a spokesman for the department, the musty or earthy taste is caused by certain types of algae that grow in Lake Murray and Broad River during the summer months.

"We can't pinpoint what's exactly causing the geosmin levels to be what they are, but we do know the conditions are perfect for it to thrive," Yanity said.

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They've made some progress toward fixing the issue and have now received the green light from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to add additional treatment materials with the hope of having the problem resolved in a few days.

"We apologize for the inconvenience," Yanity said. "We're doing everything we can to fix it, and like I said, we're not the only one's in the boat. There are other water companies that are having the same issue. So, we're working as hard as we can. We're doing just about everything we can to take care of the issue and we'll continue to work as hard as we can to solve the issue."

While Yanity says the water is safe to drink, Sai Williams, who owns the Toasty Hot Spot on Lady Street, says improvements will mean a better experience for her customers.

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"It sounds like good news. Hopefully, it give us the same taste like before and not that odor," Williams said. "It's a big inconvenience that we have to actually go out and buy water just so we can offer products at the restaurant to avoid a complaint."

As they continue to work on the issue, Columbia Water says customers can add lemon juice and chill water in the refrigerator to improve the taste and reduce odors.

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