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Drinking water in Thorsby 'smells like a pond,' says deputy mayor

The water in Thorsby smells bad again this summer, and tastes "musky."

"It smells like a pond when it comes out of the tap," said Lloyd Jardine, the town's deputy mayor.

The water looks clear and has passed health safety tests, he said.

"It's more in the hot water. But when you drink the cold water, you have a smell and you have a taste, and it's a musky taste.

"It's pretty bad to drink."

The hot weather, Jardine said, may have led to an algae bloom in the town's two holding ponds, where water pumped from the North Saskatchewan River is held until sediment settles to the bottom.

New water treatment plant installed five years ago

Five years ago, the town built a new multimillion-dollar water treatment plant.

Since then, residents have paid a premium for water treatment.

The town of 1,025 residents went through the same thing last summer and spent $100,000 for a short-term fix, Jardine said.

The town is now dredging out the holding ponds, something that hasn't happened in at least twelve years, he said.

He hopes that will get rid of the smell.

If it doesn't, the town's aging cast-iron water pipes may have to be replaced, at an estimated cost of $10 million, he said.

If that is the case, Jardine said the town will look to the provincial government to pay the bulk of the cost.