The taste and odour that has been in Moose Jaw's drinking water are expected to dissipate in the coming days, according to the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant (BPWTP).

A social media post on Wednesday from the water treatment plant said the granular carbon system has been put in service.

"The taste and odour from the plant is back to normal levels, which is good but then it takes time for it to transition to the cities," said BPWTP CEO Ryan Johnson. "About 24 hours it takes for the water to get to Regina, then it has to go through its reservoir system. Moose Jaw is more like 8 to 12 hours, so it's much faster but again it takes time for the water to go through the reservoirs, and with people's home hot water tanks needing to change over a few times. It will take a little while before people won't notice any taste and odour."

Although it was still safe to drink, the water treatment plant put out an advisory last week due to unusual taste and odour being reported by residents.

"The water has always been safe to drink," added Johnson. "It's an aesthetic quality that's being impacted but from a health perspective, it's safe. It just has a very unpleasant odour, especially if you're using hot water and you are showering and it's first thing in the morning where your hot water tank sat overnight."

The issue was significant early-season algae bloom that was causing the taste and smell. The normal bloom season starts in mid-June and ends in November.

The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant had been adding powdered activated carbon to aid in reducing the taste and odour.