Heat behind smelly, foul tasting water in Regina, Moose Jaw

Regina and Moose Jaw residents will have to deal with the strange smell and taste in their tap water up until the end of the month.

The water issues have been caused by the unusual early algae bloom at Buffalo Pound Lake, which is where the two cities get their drinking water.

The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant is about 29 kms northeast of Moose Jaw and almost 81 kms west of Regina.

Ryan Johnson, president and CEO of Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, said the bad taste and odour has become stronger because of the recent hot weather.

“We’re definitely seeing an increase in the (algae) activity in the lake, which translates into increased taste and odour that residents will notice. That’s been ongoing for a couple of weeks now,” Johnson told CJME on Tuesday.

In the interim, the plant has been adding powdered activated carbon to reduce the sharpness of the taste and odour, although it is less effective than their usual treatment.

Johnson said the plant primarily uses granular activated carbon contactors (GAC), which have been run annually since they were installed in 1985.

Read more

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• ECCC: ‘Warmer than normal heat levels could last until early Sept.’

With construction underway for the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment plant’s $325 million renewal, Johnson says the plant is working on commissioning new GACs that will be converted into biologically activated carbon contactors that will have year-round taste and odour control.

Johnson said the plant expects to have most of them up and running by the end of the week but it would take a few days for people to notice the effects.

“Water from the plant takes about 24 hours to reach Regina, about eight hours to Moose Jaw, and then it takes time to go through the distribution system,” Johnson said.

“We’re hoping by the end of the month … most people won’t notice there’s a taste or odour.”

Johnson said the plant plans to have up to eight GACs.

The GACs normally get turned on around Victoria Day long weekend, but the plant wasn’t unable to do so in 2024 because of construction.

“The commissioning and construction activities and some of the programming (and) the control systems took a little longer,” he said.

Johnson said the plant was originally planning to have the new GACs running by the end of June.

“Now that we’ve transitioned to a more typical hot, dry, season, it’s perfect conditions for the algae to bloom and cause all kinds of headaches,” he said.

Johnson said construction for the renewal was about 60 per cent complete.

Read more

• Solar panels expected to offset Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant power use
• ECCC: ‘Warmer than normal heat levels could last until early Sept.’

— With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick