September 30, 2021

The Authority has received several complaints from customers about the taste and odor of the water they are receiving. We typically experience taste and odor issues when the lake turns over as nighttime temperatures decrease. The treatment process uses chlorine dioxide to pre-treat the water which removes taste and odor to some degree. The ability to pre-treat is limited by formation of distribution by products and the levels of chlorite that are measured leaving the treatment plant. As of September 2021 the chlorine residual leaving the treatment plant has been increased to meet new disinfection requirements, the increased chlorine levels seem to be contributing to the taste and odor issues that some customers are reporting. A Department of Local Affairs grant was awarded to the Authority to add instrumentation and increase the chlorine contact time prior to leaving the treatment plant which will result in lower chlorine residuals being required.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment conducted a regularly scheduled Sanitary Survey of the treatment plant and distribution system on September 15^th. The survey found no significant deficiencies in the Lake Durango system.