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“It smells kind of like rotten eggs,” said Ravenna resident Kris Wilson. She notices

the smell in her water everyday. “We don’t even give it to the dog, he gets bottled

water.”

Ravenna residents have noticed a musky smell in the water coming through their

homes. Water plan officials have called it “lake turnover.”

“Lake turnover is a natural phenomenon where the higher level of water starts to

mix with the lower level close to our intake and it makes it a little more challenging

to treat,” explained Ravenna water plant superintendent Tim Stephens.

Stephens says that the turnover occurs every year in during the fall months and that

the decaying algae particles are the source of the odor. “Jasmine and M.I.B. cause a

pretty musky smell,” says Stephens.

But residents can’t help but think there is something wrong with the water.

Stephens assures that the water is safe to drink and that residents have nothing to

worry about.

“We treat it with powdered activated carbon, which absorbs the algae particles in

the water,” Stephens explained. “A lot of cities that have surface water are going

through this, especially small lakes where it flourishes a little more than say the

Cleveland plants out in Lake Erie.”

Ravenna service director Kelly Engelhart gave a few tips on how residents can

take care of their water at this time.

“Run your water longer and then put it in

refrigerated containers in the refrigerator is part of the solution,” said Engelhart, “as

well as us adjusting how we treat it with the carbon.”

The problem is supposed to go away as the end of October rolls in and with it the

cold. Hopefully residents won’t have to deal with the smell for long.

Contact Loren Thomas at [email protected].