I really dislike the chlorine taste in water. How can I get rid of it?
The simplest and most economical way is to add a slice of lemon to your drinking water. Another method is to fill a clean pitcher or container with cold tap water and leave it uncovered overnight. The chlorine content will dissipate.
Do I need a water softener?
This is entirely a personal preference. If you come from an area that has naturally soft water, Lake Michigan's water will seem hard. If you are from an area that has very hard water, our water will seem softer. Soft water will use less soap for cleaning, but many people prefer not to drink soft water.
Why is my water cloudy?
This is a seasonal problem that happens each winter. As Lake Michigan turns colder each winter the water is able to hold more dissolved oxygen in solution. When the water leaves our plant and is warmed in the distribution system and especially in your warm basement the oxygen comes out of solution. When you open your faucet the aerator on the end of your faucet breaks up this air and tries to force it back into solution creating a "milky" glass of water. You may also notice a heavier chlorine smell with cloudy water. This is because chlorine is also a gas and will come out of solution too.
Removing your aerator and flushing your plumbing lines can help solve this problem.
Sometimes my water smells "musty" or "lakey" - what causes that?
In the summer when Lake Michigan reaches warmer temperatures the Lake blooms with algae. They produce compounds that give us the musty, but harmless, odor in the water. Some years one hardly notices it all and some years it gets so bad that it becomes very difficult to remove all these taste and odors even with chemicals. The Sheboygan Water Utility uses powdered activated carbon and potassium permanganate to remove the taste and odors but this is not always 100% effective.