Water Quality

A plan to build a village of small cabins for unhoused individuals just south of downtown Bloomington received a green light Monday night from the city council.

The City of Bloomington says levels of a toxin produced by algae are rising in Lakes Bloomington and Evergreen. The city said in a statement it will be treating parts of the lakes to manage algal growth, starting Thursday.

The next step in the City of Bloomington’s ongoing efforts to address the foul odor and taste of its water supply will be to reduce algae levels in Lake Bloomington and Evergreen Lake.

There are only two Bloomington City Council seats that have contested races in the April 1 election. Ward 9, which covers a good part of the northeast side, is one of them.

A summary of issue positions held by incumbent council member Jenna Kearns and challenger Ben Zimmerman.

The City of Bloomington will spend more than $500,000 to buy additional powdered-activated carbon in an effort to eliminate ongoing odor and taste issues with the water supply.

The City of Bloomington is taking continuous measures to improve water quality, but not fast enough for some. Residents and restaurants have had to take matters into their own hands.

The city has implemented temporary water filtration improvement, using a repurposed liquid lime feeding system. A new powder-activated carbon system will take about a year to arrive.

Bloomington's water director said they made a move Friday to switch their primary water supply source from Lake Bloomington to Evergreen Lake – largely for volume concerns.

A planned annual 2% increase in Town of Normal water rates in each of the next six years may not be enough to maintain adequate fund balances.