Springfield aldermen have delayed action on a plan to spend more than half-a-million dollars on equipment to address some of the taste and odor problems that affected the city’s drinking water last fall.
City Water Light and Power says the shutdown of three of the utility’s electric generators has made the lake water more stagnant and susceptible to bacteria that creates an unpleasant taste and smell. The utility wants to acquire solar-powered devices that would be tethered in the lake to churn the water and dissipate the bacteria. But some aldermen are concerned the devices could hinder boat traffic on the lake, and the utility concedes there is no guarantee the technology will eliminate the problem.
Aldermen want more time to consider other possible alternatives.
