Corpus Christi residents might soon detect a change in the smell and taste of their tap water. Supplies of potassium permanganate, one of two chemicals used to adjust the taste and smell of drinking water, are limited because of a fire in Illinois at the country’s only potassium permanganate manufacturer. Production might not resume for as long as three months, and the city has less than a two-week supply.
Currently, Corpus Christi is working to secure the chemical from facilities in India and China.
Although an absence of potassium permanganate could give the city’s tap water a musty or earthy taste or smell, it will be safe to drink, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which does not require the chemical’s use.
Corpus Christi draws its water supply exclusively from surface water sources that require more treatment than groundwater.
chuck@thepicayune.com
