Some residents of the city of Sacramento in California say their tap water has had an earthy smell and taste in recent weeks. City officials say this is due to an algae that proliferates in warm water, when water reservoirs are low. According to officials, this is a normal occurrence in the area, but it happens in the fall, not in the summer. "What has happened this year is, because it was a disappointing rain year and water levels in reservoirs upstream of us are lower, water temperatures are higher, and also the flows in the river are lower than they normally would be at this time of year. And those two things have sort of combined to create a situation where the musty, earthy taste are just occuring sooner than we normally would expect," says Mark Severeid, Sacramento water quality superintendent. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES