Manatee residents notice strange smell from tap water, county officials say it's safe to drink

BRADENTON, Fla. - A lot of residents in Manatee County are left wondering why their tap water smells strange. 

Katie Gilmore, the deputy director for Manatee County's Utilities Department, said an algae bloom in Lake Manatee is to blame for the smell. But, officials say it's safe to drink and use. 

"We understand the taste in odor is off-putting, but that is not harmful. We want to make sure the water is safe to drink, which we are trying to reassure that it is despite the odor," she said. 

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Manatee County is working to assure the public that the compound responsible for the taste and odor is identified as geosmin, and it is not an algal toxin. While certain blue-green algae can produce toxins, it is important to note that not all blue-green algae blooms are toxic. 

Independent testing was done by GreenWater Laboratories for a variety of cyanotoxins, and none were detected in the drinking water. 

"Typically we see our blooms activated in the spring into early summer before we get our summer rains, because that’s when Lake Manatee is at its hottest and stillest," said Gilmore. 

Warmer temperatures and a lack of rain are to blame for fueling the bloom, the county said. Summer storms can help drive the bloom away, and they’ve just started popping up. 

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"If the water is moving and flowing it’s hard for them to take hold and grow," said Gilmore. 

The algae responsible has been detected at times in Lake Manatee since operations started in 1967. However, Gilmore said this bloom is more intense than recent years. 

"What we are seeing in this water shed is more people.  We have storm water, our storm water rolls down and holds the line to nutrient loads. We are adding nutrients and our water is getting warmer," said Dr. David Tomasko, the director of Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. 

He said algae blooms are an issue in all Florida waterways and taking an approach to lessen nutrients that feed them is vital. 

"We need to do a better job in the future than we’ve been doing," he said. "Otherwise, these kinds of problems, they will be something that doesn’t happen once in a while, it’ll be the norm," he said. 

Manatee County does treat the water supply with a substance that reduces that earthy taste, but even the smallest level left can give off the odor.