South West Water has started work on two major investment schemes worth a combined £11.8 million in total.
The water company is investing £6.3 million at Northcombe Water Treatment Works, near Okehampton, to install six new granulator activated carbon filters.
Due to its large surface area and special surface chemistry it can remove natural and manmade organic matter sometimes present in Roadford reservoir, which supplies the water treatment works.
Chris Rockey, Head of Drinking Water Quality, explained:
"We already have some of the best tap water in the country but this major investment in additional treatment will deliver even better drinking water to our customers in North Devon."
Water that has passed through the GAC treatment process will start being introduced into supply from October 2017.
Chris Rockley added:
"In the very short term, the smell or taste of chlorine may become more noticeable to some customers. For this reason, we will bring the new filters on line one at a time and blend the new and improved water with the water currently produced by the works to ensure a smooth transition."
This approach was undertaken successfully at Restormel and Wendron water treatment works in Cornwall in 2014.
Northcombe Water Treatment Works is South West Water's fifth largest water treatment works and supplies large areas of North Devon including Barnstaple, Bideford and Torrington. The works produces around 22 megalitres of water a day (Ml/d) during the winter and up to 45 Ml/d in summer
In a separate scheme to improve Bude's tap water, work is under way on a £5.5 million project at Tamar Lakes Water Treatment Works, near Holsworthy, to install additional manganese removal filters, five new granulator activated carbon filters to remove natural and manmade organic matter sometimes present in Tamar Lakes reservoir and a state-of-the-art ultraviolet disinfection system.
Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection uses UV light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses sometimes found in the untreated reservoir water.
Tamar Lakes Water Treatment Works supplies Bude and the surrounding villages along that stretch of the Atlantic Highway
Water that has passed through the GAC and UV treatment processes will start being introduced into supply from March 2017. The new filters are also being brought on line one at a time.