Arkansas Educational Telecommunication Network

Every year around August, the water in Beaver Lake develops a taste and odor problem. The cause of the problem is something called MIB (Methyl-Isoborneol). A lake or reservoir with excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) breeds small plants called cyanobacteria which produce chemicals that leak into the water. That chemical is MIB. While Beaver Lake represents an excellent water supply for Northwest Arkansas, growth and development around the lake and in the watershed are beginning to affect the water. More advanced methods for treating the water can be employed to deal with the MIB and most other problems that arise, but this doesn’t address the point and non-point pollution problems in the watershed.