'Definitely has a smell': Morden working to address smelly tap water

There's an odour in Morden, but it's not in the air, it's coming from the tap.

Morden resident Eric Wiebe said the drinking water has a bit of a smell.

“It doesn't taste all that bad, but definitely has a smell," said Wiebe.

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But depending on who you talk to, some say it also tastes bad.

Mayor Nancy Penner hears all about it.

"We get chatter about, 'Oh, the water stinks, the water tastes musty.' We get that every year,” said Penner.

Because there have been some questions and concerns of late about the smelly water, Penner said the city put out a release to reassure residents that the water is safe to drink.

"We are in close contact with the drinking water office, they've been in contact with the city, everything is working according to plan. The test results are normal.”

The odour and taste are caused by algae blooms in the lake on the edge of Morden. Penner said they pop up seasonally from the heat and lack of rain.

But there is a plan to mitigate the smell.

The city said additional treatment processes have been implemented at the water treatment plant. The city is also set to use an ultrasonic monitoring system next summer to reduce the amount of blooms.

"They release a low-grade ultrasound into the water, which prevents the algae from getting the sunlight they need to grow and then without the sunlight they die.”

Wiebe said the odour in the drinking water is just something that comes and goes this time of year.

"I see it as more of a temporary thing…but it is just unpleasant right," said Wiebe.