Austin Water performing targeted flushes to improve water

Austin Water is flushing targeted areas around the city that are still experiencing unusual taste and odor in the water, officials said Sunday.

Flushing, which helps move water through the system quickly, will be made throughout the day and will be ongoing as the city continues to see improvements, Austin Water said in a tweet Sunday. It released a map of the targeted areas, which are concentrated in South Austin.

Several customers complained Thursday about an unusual odor in the water. After some routine tests, the city found the issue to be dead zebra mussels in a raw water pipeline at the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant near Redbud Trail in West Austin.

Zebra mussels are invasive mollusks that latch onto rocks, boats and pipes and have caused major infrastructure problems in the northern United States. They also have steadily spread to more than a dozen Texas waterways, including lakes Austin, Travis and Lady Bird.

Austin Water has been feeding powdered activated carbon into its supplies since Thursday. The substance is commonly used by treatment plants to help absorb taste and odor compounds, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The water is still safe to drink, Austin Water officials say.

Anyone still experiencing issues is encouraged to contact 3-1-1 and provide a location.