Less of that blue-green substance is a good thing

That unwanted visitor into the drinking water made by the Pioneer Rural Water District has been much less prevalent of late and, as a result, Pioneer officials say they’re not getting the phone calls so common earlier this year, and social media no longer is full of complaints.  Gary Harper, superintendent of Pioneer’s treatment plant, attributes the decrease in algae intrusion into the water to a total of three treatments of the raw water supply in the vicinity of Pioneer’s intake on Lake Hartwell—especially, he says, the last of the three treatments.  As temperatures descend into fall and no rain forecast are signs that there won’t be a flurry of taste or odor issues. One exception to this is the immediate family of board member Mark Holbrooks.  He says in recent weeks they’ve gone to bottled water and have said they have issues with the taste.