Austin Water: Unusual odor in water due to zebra mussels

Austin Water believes the unusual odor in their water is being caused by the presence of zebra mussels in a raw water pipeline at the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant. Customers began complaining about an unusual odor in their water on Thursday morning.

Customers in Central and South Austin are currently being affected.

Austin Water expects the odor issue to be resolved in the next 24 hours.

Water provided by Austin Water to customers continues to meet all regulatory standards and is safe to drink, according to Austin Water. While zebra mussels can reduce water quantity, they do not affect water quality.

The utility company began by feeding powdered activated carbon to mitigate odor issue. Powdered activated carbon is often used to help with taste and odor occurrences. Austin Water is also flusing water lines in the affected area. 

WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE WITH AUSTIN WATER HERE

The company belives the odor was caused by zebra mussles in a pipeline that was put in service on Wednesday, February 6 after being out of service for repairs over the past two weeks.

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