‘The water is always safe to drink:’ Buffalo Pound dealing with algae blooms

People living in Moose Jaw and Regina might be noticing a funky taste and smell coming from their taps.

A blue-green algae called cyanobacteria is what caused the musty taste and smell of water.

Blair Kardash, the manager of laboratory and research for the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, said this is one of the worst years he has ever seen for algae blooms at the facility over the past 30 years.

“Despite the periodic taste and odour, the water is always safe to drink,” said Kardash.

He added that algae flourishes in drought-like conditions.

The algae has now exploded over the last six to eight weeks. Right now, that taste and odour is on and off, so it has not met the severity level to put in extra measures.

Earlier in the year, Kardash said the plant turned on its carbon contactors to help clear up the water in late April when green algae booms — technically called chlorophytes — started to form in the lake. Carbon contactors help remove unwanted variants from the water.

Right now, the carbon contactors are still on, but during high-flow events, the carbon contactors are not always able to remove the smell and taste of the blue-green algae from the water.

“Ordinarily in years gone by, we have always had two carbon beds in reserve. This year, we do not,” said Kardash, noting the reason for that is the ongoing $325-million upgrade to the facility.

“To keep construction on time, two of the beds had to be taken out for a new type of bed that will be put online next year.”

Once construction wraps up next year, there should be better control over the taste and smell of the water.

“We are going through a construction process right now because of plant renewal that is limiting some of our treatment capacity …,” said Kardash. “Late next year, we will have taste and odour control all year round.”

The City of Saskatoon said in an emailed statement that algae blooms are not an issue for water in that city.