Early Warning and Management of Surface Water Taste-and-Odor Events (Awwa Research Foundation Reports)

The core of this report is a set of guidelines, with case studies from several utilities, for evaluating and managing T&O events, prior to customer complaints. The difficulty lies in the extreme sensitivity that many individuals have for the most difficult to manage earthy/musty taste and odor compounds, geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB). The guidelines are supported by providing information, tools and guidance of direct and immediate value to utilities and staff struggling with T&O problems. The goal is to achieve control at the source or through strategic use of storage and conveyance facilities, thus relieving or reducing the burden on the plants, often at minimal cost.