Algae May Affect Water Taste, Smell

Tap water used by 500,000 Ventura County residents may have a musty taste and foul odor, but is not unhealthful, Ventura County’s largest water supplier warned this week.

The unpleasant taste and “earthy” smell stem from an unusually large and persistent algae bloom in Castaic Lake, said Mark D. Beuhler, director of water quality for the Metropolitan Water District.

Castaic Lake is one of several reservoirs used by the MWD to supply water to Southern California. In Ventura County, MWD’s water is distributed by the Calleguas Municipal Water District to Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oak Park and parts of Oxnard.

The presence of the algae does not present a health hazard and there is no need to boil water, Beuhler said. Instead, residents with ill-tasting water are advised to refrigerate drinking water to improve its taste until the problem diminishes within a few weeks, he said.

Ventura County residents will probably not notice a difference in their water, Calleguas General Manager Don Kendall said. “We’ve had no complaints because they’ve been able to control the problem,” he said.

Algae levels typically increase in the summer with warmer weather, Beuhler said, adding that hot August days helped spawn the algae bloom. The district is working with state water officials to control the problem, he said.