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The City of Bartlesville has been receiving numerous complaints that water throughout the city has developed a “fishy” taste and odor. After looking into the complaints, including having it reviewed by the State of Oklahoma, city leaders are confident there is nothing wrong with the water even if it does smell and taste “weird.”

In a newsletter released to customers, Bartlesville Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen stated that the odd smell and taste are the result of “compounds that were released by algae constituents in the lake” that provides city water. The release of the compound is not controllable and it often becomes worse as temperatures move higher, allowing algae to grow faster and broader in the late. Lauritsen said the only thing that will likely relieve the on-going issue is a heavy rainstorm that will clear out the algae or minimize its compounds.

Usually the city’s water treatment center would handle the filtering of the compounds but currently the treatment center is offline for renovations that will take place now through September.