Citizens around Estevan have been reporting foul-smelling and tasting water in the area, with the city taking a close look.
Water and Wastewater Services Manager Matt Angell has been watching Rafferty Reservoir over the last while to find out why that change has happened.
He attributes that to a recent change and a harmless summer phenomenon that occurs in Rafferty.
"So what happens every year, this is kind of happening ever since we switched over to Rafferty is there's an algae bloom that forms in the lake, and it actually happens across the province. The only reason that we didn't have this problem in Boundary is the water gets turned over a little more, so the more the water kind of sits and soaks in that sunshine and it helps these algae blooms grow a little more, so it's normally going to have it for a couple of weeks we might get this taste and odor in the water, hopefully just like last year and the year before. It should kind of clear up after a couple of weeks."
The whole process means that the city won't have to add any extra chemicals to the water to get rid of the algae.
"The only thing that we can do is a carbon filter, which is basically like a Britta filter, so that could help knock some of the taste and odor out of the water for us to do it at the plant. It's quite expensive, it would be a big upgrade to the water treatment plant to do something like that. So as of right now, we're still looking into different options that we could do to try and make the plants be able to work a little better in the way of getting rid of that taste and odor problem."
Angell confirmed that there are no health concerns with the current water even if it does taste a little funny.
"There are no safety concerns at all. We've actually gone out for the first few times we've got phone calls about them. We went out to do some sampling and everything is coming back completely normal. It's just that taste and odor that algae bloom is releasing into the water that we just can't get rid of."
People in Estevan will just need to wait for a couple of weeks for the water to go back to normal.
"In the next couple of weeks, it should start clearing up. I know all across the province they have these same issues with these lakes doing this just because they sit too stagnant and do not have a lot of moving water. So you and Regina at this point are having the same problem."
If anyone does have a problem with their water's taste and smell even after that algae has cleared up, Angell says they can call the town hall at 306-634-1800 and they can put you in contact with the water plant to answer questions.