State Budget Allocates $2 Million to Study Lake Lanier Taste, Odor Problems

Rep. Matt Dubnik (R-Gainesville) got his $2 million. Georgia's $38.5 billion fiscal year 2027 state budget, passed Thursday when the legislature adjourned, carved out that sum to investigate why Lake Lanier water has been arriving at Forsyth County taps with a musty, earthy smell and taste for months. One early note for affected households: boiling the water will not solve the problem and actually intensifies the odor.

The compounds responsible are geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, known as MIB, both produced naturally by algae and bacteria blooming in the lake. Neither poses a health risk, but both are detectable by the human nose at concentrations of just a few parts per trillion, and conventional water treatment methods struggle to strip them out completely. The $2 million study will examine the Lake Lanier and Chattahoochee River system to determine causes and long-term solutions. The scope, including which agency or institution will conduct it and a concrete timeline for reporting results, had not been publicly detailed as of Thursday's adjournment.

Dubnik and State Sen. Drew Echols (R-Gainesville) had been building toward the appropriation since January. On January 23, the pair reconstituted the Lake Lanier Legislative Caucus and convened a hearing where Gwinnett County Government Scientist Brigette Haram, Ph.D., walked lawmakers through treatment options including ozone, advanced oxidation processes, and powdered activated carbon. "Safe drinking water is vital for our communities, and no Georgian should be concerned when it comes to accessing clean, odor-free water," Dubnik said.

The complaints that fueled the caucus stretched back months. At the height of the problem, both Forsyth County Water and Sewer and the Cumming Water Department were fielding dozens of calls daily. John Marshall of the county water department explained the mechanism driving the issue: "As the algae grow in the lake and it dies off, the compounds die off and produce the earthy smell and tastes."

Forsyth County has not waited for the state study to act. The county is proceeding with an upgrade at the Antioch Water Treatment Plant on Antioch Road in Cumming, which processes Lake Lanier water before distribution countywide. The county had already installed an ozone treatment process at Antioch in a prior effort to manage the seasonal taste and odor cycle, but this year's bloom proved more stubborn. Separately, Gainesville deployed three buoys on Lake Lanier on February 6, each emitting low-power ultrasound waves designed to disrupt algae growth at the source.

While the study gets underway, activated carbon filters can reduce odor at the tap for most households, and whole-home reverse osmosis systems provide more complete removal. Residents with water quality concerns can contact Forsyth County Water and Sewer at (770) 781-2160.

Dubnik and Echols have scheduled the caucus's next public meeting for April 16 at 8 a.m. at the Boat House in Gainesville.