'It does taste a little different': Waukesha water switch complete

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- All water customers in Waukesha now have water from Lake Michigan.

"Overall, it's been going really well. Our crews worked 24/7 last week," Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Daniel Duchniak said.

"They were working over the weekend, finishing off the dead-end mains and the cul-de-sacs. There's still some work we have to do with our system, but overall, our customers are 99% turned over to Great Lakes water."

On Monday, CBS 58 stopped by a local coffee shop in Waukesha to see how people in the city feel about the change that happened last week.

"I noticed a different taste in it, so I had another one of my coworkers taste it because I was like, 'this is really good coffee, taste this!'" Mountain Top Coffee barista Elliot Borenhagen said.

The shop's owner said he is happy with the new H20.

"It does taste a little different, I would say not as metallic as it used to. I grew up on Milwaukee water, so I really like how it tastes, so to me, it's great," Nathan Darrow said.

Others said they did not notice much of a change.

"Honestly, I can't really tell the difference. We have a filter system at our house, so it doesn't really make a difference. Coffee tastes the same," Waukesha resident Taylor Scott said.

Before the water started flowing into homes and businesses, Waukesha Water Utility warned of a potential temporary redness and chlorine odor to the water.

People in Waukesha tell CBS 58 they did not notice much of the anticipated red tint to the water, something Duchinak attributes to their extensive preparation and how they handled the transition.

"We kind of sectioned it and moved in sections across the city," he said. "Which reduced the velocities then that went across the system, that reduced the redness in the water."

This month, residents will see a $15 increase on their water bill and the same increase next October.