Hot South Texas summer weather results in a rapid algae growth in our surface water reservoirs. As the algae decay, they release taste and odor compounds. The Mansfield Water Treatment Plant replaced the anthracite coal filter media with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) in the plant expansion of 1999. As a result, the tastes and odor nuisance was greatly reduced.
However, there are times of the year when the algae growths can exceed the GAC's ability to remove the tastes and odors completely. In as much as the problem of taste and odor may be apparent in the water, the water is safe to drink.