Authority Pinpoints Source Of Downriver Water Issues

ALLEN PARK (WWJ/AP) - The Great Lakes Water Authority says the sulfurous tastes and odors in suburban Detroit water that prompted complaints was caused by a spike in particulates associated with normal cleaning of its settling basins.

The authority issued a statement Wednesday saying it has resolved the problem at its Southwest Water Treatment Facility that provides water to downriver communities.

"The authority has also established protocols that will prevent the issue from occurring again," Great Lakes Water Authority CEO Sue McCormick said in a statement. "At no time were there any health or safety concerns."

McCormick says once staff determined Jan. 12 that the problem was caused by cleaning the basins, that work stopped immediately. However, some of the water treated during this time-frame left the plant and entered the distribution system with sulfurous tastes and odors. That caused complaints to pour in from communities including Allen Park, Dearborn Heights, Ecorse, Lincoln Park and Taylor.

Workers fed powdered activated carbon into the system to help mitigate the issue and flushed the affected water from the system. Staff also instituted an enhanced schedule of water quality testing. That led complaints to drop off.

McCormick said the authority is reaching out to affected customer communities to offer assistance in flushing out their local systems, and they'll cover the cost of any volume increases associated with flushing activities.

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