Westminster’s smelly and musty water is still safe to drink, city officials said.
The city’s drinking water is primarily supplied by Standley Lake, which goes through a natural turnover process each year. That process stirs up the reservoir — mixing cooler surface water with deep lake water — and increases algae production, which can give the city’s drinking water “an earthy or musty taste and smell” in the fall, city officials said in a statement on the Public Works and Utilities Department’s website.
Westminster’s water “remains safe to drink and is tested regularly to make sure it meets all required safety standards,” city officials said in the statement.
This year’s drought exacerbated the taste and odor, according to the Public Works and Utilities Department. Both are expected to improve in the next two to three weeks as the reservoir fully mixes and cools, city officials said.
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“Our water quality specialists monitor the lake water and the water leaving our treatment facility 24/7,” Westminster officials wrote in an article dedicated to the annual turnover. “This process does not change the high quality of water that reaches your tap at home.”
Additional questions and concerns can be addressed via Westminster’s Water Quality Hotline at 303-658-2461.
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