AWWA WQTC58832

Most taste and odor events in drinking water are source specific and while odor compound detection can help identify tastes and odors, there remains the need to identify the organism(s) believed to be the cause of the problem. In cooperation with a major Utah water utility, samples from the Provo River drainage district were monitored monthly for the past two years. Treatment plant personnel conducted flavor profile analysis and odor compound quantification was performed by solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with GC-MS. When odors were detected at significant levels, the sampling interval was increased and samples were split for chemical and microbial characterization. In order to cover the wide range of microbes associated with taste and odor events, cultures for both actinomycetes and algae were conducted. Isolation of microbial byproducts and analysis by GC-MS confirmed compounds detected in the sample were produced by microbial contaminants. This approach enabled us to determine the cause-and-effect relationship of the taste and odor event. Data indicated that actinomycetes were responsible for taste and odor in the water, not cyanobacteria. The chemical and microbial characterization of taste and odor events helped this Utah water utility develop a logical treatment Includes 8 references, tables, figures.