DANVILLE (WSLS 10) -Â The audit found $5.5 million worth of recommendations for updating the drinking water plant.
Those recommendations though are just that, recommendations. They are not requirements by any means.
But, Water Director Barry Dunkley already has a plan in place to implement some of those recommendations and he says it could help reduce the issue of smelly and bad tasting drinking water in the city.
The periodic smell and bad taste that Danville residents claim to notice in their drinking water is something the city continues to try to resolve.
First and foremost, large amounts of powder activated carbon are being added to the water.
But, the audit found that some of the filters at the plant may need cleaned or replaced because the powder activated carbon was getting stuck in the filters causing them to not operate effectively and potentially creating some of the taste and odor issues.
"That may have been some of our problem," Dunkley explained. "When we detected it in the raw water, it was leaching out of our filters."
He's hopeful though that an air backwash system that has been installed will help keep the filters clean and eliminate the need for expensive cleaning or replacement of the filters.
The other recommendations in the audit are updates that could be made to help the plant run more efficiently.
An audit being done and a potential source of the smelly, bad tasting water being identified and potentially eliminated is welcome news to the general manager of the Golden Leaf Bistro.
In the past, the restaurant has had to resort to offering bottled water to customers because of the smell and taste of the tap water.
"Water is the lifeblood of a restaurant. We use it in every aspect of our operation. So, knowing that we have safe water for our customers and community is a big plus," said General Manager Taylor Alvis.
The city is continuing to search for other potential causes and solutions.
The earliest that work would begin to implement any recommendations would be next year, as there is currently no money in the 2017 fiscal year budget for any of the recommendations.