DANVILLE, Va. – The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will survey the Dan River to determine the source of algae growth that has caused the bad taste and smell in the city’s drinking water.

The director of the department warned that determining the cause of algae growth is often hard to determine.

Danville requested the DEQ’s help after the musty odor and taste re-emerged Friday.

“Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will continue to work closely with the City of Danville and others as we attempt to find the cause of algae resulting in drinking water problems from the Dan River and to identify potential solutions,” David Paylor of the DEQ said in a statement.

On Wednesday operators could no longer detect the odor or bad taste in the treated water. Carbon is still being fed into the water system as a precautionary measure.

The city has said the water is safe to drink, but some community members say they are not using it.

“Still don’t trust it. That’s why we get bottled water at my house,” Diana Jones said. “Knowing you pay for it and you can’t drink it, it does frustrate you.”

Anita Newton: “I won’t drink the water from restaurants. I always try to take my bottled water. I don’t want the tea, I don’t want any of the sodas.”

Here is the news release from the City of Danville:

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has agreed to survey the Dan River to determine the source of the algae growth that caused the odd taste and odor in the city’s drinking water.

However, David K. Paylor, director of the department, cautions that the cause of algae growth is frequently difficult to determine.

“Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will continue to work closely with the City of Danville and others as we attempt to find the cause of algae resulting in drinking water problems from the Dan River and to identify potential solutions,” Paylor said Wednesday.

The city requested the state agency’s assistance following the re-emergence of an earthy, musty odor and taste in the water on Friday. Since then, city water plant operators have been adding powdered activated carbon to the treatment process. The carbon absorbs the algae and then is removed from the water.

On Wednesday, operators no longer could detect the odor in the raw water and the taste and odor in the treated water. They will continue feeding carbon indefinitely, however, as a precautionary measure.