Olathe, Kansas Water Judged Best-Tasting

A few cities that pump their water from the same river that the City of Olathe does have receiving complaints about the water tasting “musty” or “earthy.” Those cities include Lawrence and Topeka. Their Water officials said the problem was caused at least in part by algae in the Kansas River. Officials also said the water is safe to drink and that the algae causing the problem was expected to die off naturally over a period of days. Although residents of some nearby communities that draw drinking water from the Kansas River have complained late last week that the water tastes or smells bad, City officials from Olathe have not heard similar complaints.

Although the city of Olathe also draws water from the Kansas River basin, Merv Gleason, deputy director of Olathe’s Municipal Services Department, said the main difference is that Olathe uses ground water from a system of wells rather than surface water.

The difference in the water is where the cities pump the water. Many cities like Topeka and Lawrence pump their water from the service. Olathe pumps their water from 70 feet below the surface.

“Because of ground filtration we don’t have the algae problems that come with taking surface water, so we shouldn’t have a taste/odor problem,” Gleason said.

Earlier this year, Olathe’s water was judged the best-tasting in Kansas by the Kansas Rural Water Association. 

Let us know what you think or add to our blog by writing a comment.

Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Best Associates

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