For months now, residents of Alexander City have been raising concerns about the quality of the area’s drinking water. According to recent reports, the water has taken on a hazy brownish appearance, and in some instance, has emitted an odor similar to that of raw sewage.

According to Alexander City Mayor Woody Baird, Lake Martin, which is a major source of drinking water, has played a large role in the unusual smell of the water

“This year we’ve had four times the normal amount of algae blooms; it exploded. We’ve been fighting this since April,” Baird told ABC 33/40. “Warm weather has kept lake water temperatures too high and on top of that, there’s been little rain. We haven’t had a sizeable rain in 8 months to a year.”

Baird stressed that the water is not harmful despite its appearance.

“It smells. But if you don’t want that get a Brita filter and it’s fine, perfectly safe to drink.”

Charlie Edmondson, chief operator of Adams Water Treatment Plant, explained what could be causing the discoloration.

“If brown water like that were to come out of our treatment plant, ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) would come and arrest us,” Edmondson said. “But what can happen is manganese can set up in those lines and if water isn’t turned over a lot, that could happen.”

“Some people live at the end of the line, and that can have an effect too. If you live at the end of a line and water is not turned over a lot, it can cause problems. It’s due to a lot of stuff. Even a thunderstorm — you’d be surprised how much a thunderstorm or bad lightning, it can cause the ground to shake and stuff to come off those pipes and into the water.”

The Alexander City Water Department serves about 29,565 people in the greater Lake Martin area, including Alexander City, Dadeville, and other surrounding communities. 

Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten