The Town of Crossfield has notified residents that they may notice a difference in their water.  

"As the weather warms up, you may notice your water has a slightly different taste at times. Often this is a result of a recent snowmelt and a high level of debris in the river water entering the water treatment plant," the Town stated on their website.

According to the Town, when quality degrades, additional treatment processes are used to maintain safe and aesthetically pleasing treated water.

"The water remains safe for drinking, cooking and bathing. Chlorine levels may be increased to address this issue. Chlorine is used to disinfect water so it is safe for drinking purposes. This chemical destroys micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses that can pose a threat to public health."

When this happens, residents may notice a stronger than usual chlorine odour and taste, though the Town underlined the water remains safe for drinking, cooking and bathing.

While the Town of Crossfield's water comes from the Red Deer River and is treated at the Anthony Henday Water Treatment Plant, DiscoverAirdrie asked The City of Airdrie if residents in the city may also experience this.

According to Kelly McKague, Team Leader for Water Services in the City, the chlorine levels in the water supply are normal and occur annually. The City of Airdrie purchases water from the City of Calgary.

"The City of Calgary uses chlorine to disinfect the water and keep it free from harmful microbial organisms," he explained. "So such conditions, such as spring runoff may affect the quality of the water supply entering the Calgary plants from the Bow River and the Elbow River. During those times Calgary will adjust their treatment levels, which may include increasing the level of disinfectant to ensure that the water remains safe to drink."

McKague stressed that the water Airdrie receives is of the highest quality.

When asked if he believes that low water levels observed in the Bow and Elbow Rivers may contribute to more microbes in the water supply, McKague said he doesn't believe this to be a factor.

"The City of Calgary monitors their water supply very, very carefully with the quality of water and they adjust as needed. I don't see any impact of that whatsoever."

The City of Airdrie added on its website that it abides by strict guidelines set by Alberta Environment and Parks to ensure the safety and quality of our water.

"Some people are more prone to that smell and taste than others. If you do notice it, we recommend putting a jug of water in the fridge and most of that chlorine will gas off and dissipate overnight, while it's in the fridge."

He underlined that this is different from the sometimes musty taste and smell of water that Airdrie residents notice in the late summer and full, which is due to fluctuating levels of geosmin. Geosmin is a naturally occurring compound and increased geosmin levels are sometimes noticed in the late summer and fall. 

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