As the City of Bloomington continues to address water quality, it will temporarily make the switch of its water source to Lake Bloomington as Evergreen Lake is treated for algae.
The switch is expected to last about a week, and the water source will be switched back once treatment is over.
The decision to treat the water comes after weeks of resident complaints about the smell and taste of the water in Bloomington. At its March 24 meeting, the Bloomington City Council approved a treatment to reduce algae levels.
Algae levels were found to have increased levels of a naturally occurring toxin called microcystin, according to a statement from the city. Levels were well below the amount required for a health advisory.
Last week, Lake Bloomington was treated for its algae levels, and now that toxin levels have gone down, the city can make the temporary switch to treat Lake Evergreen.
“This is part of our ongoing effort to keep our water supply in the best possible shape,” Bloomington Water Director Ed Andrews said. “Now that conditions have improved at Lake Bloomington, we can safely use it as our source while we treat Evergreen Lake. Once the process is complete, we’ll be able to run from either lake.”
The city switched to Evergreen Lake in late January when water levels at Lake Bloomington were too low. City officials say the lake level has since recovered and is now nearly as high as Evergreen Lake.
The algae treatment at Lake Evergreen is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. The city says it will continue to monitor both lakes closely throughout the process.
