Evansville Water May Taste Different In August,But it's Temporary

Beginning August 11th you may notice your tap water has a slightly different taste or smell, that's due to a brief change in the disinfectant used by Evansville Water and Sewer Utility.

For a brief period of time beginning August 11th and going through September 21st they'll be using a different disinfectant. They've done this many times in the past, and personally I've never noticed a difference (I have Evansville water at work and at home), but I know some people are more sensitive to smells than I am. Here's what EWSU says about the change:

Beginning August 11, 2020, and continuing until September 21, 2020, the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility (EWSU) will temporarily change the disinfectant used in the water treatment process. EWSU will be using free chlorine rather than the regularly used disinfectant (chloramine) during this time period. This is the second of two planned temporary switchovers in 2020.

So why are they switching over to the new disinfectant temporarily?

This brief, scheduled change in disinfectant is a standard water treatment practice to keep water mains clean and free of potentially harmful bacteria throughout the year. State drinking water guidelines recommend that utilities using chloramine periodically switch to free chlorine for a period of time. The temporary use of chlorine will ensure that a proper level of disinfectant is maintained throughout the network of water mains and pipes that deliver your drinking water.
Free chlorine is a more aggressive disinfectant than chloramine, and this temporary change in the water treatment process denies bacteria the ability to form resistance to the usual disinfection treatment process. Switching to free chlorine is a proactive step to ensure that we maintain optimal levels of disinfectant in the water distribution system.
As always, the drinking water will be regularly monitored to ensure that the water delivered meets, or is better than, federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards.

So no worries, your water will still be safe to drink and strictly monitored. You can read more about the changes, by clicking here.