The conversation about how Albemarle County and Charlottesville will get drinking water for the next 50 years — and at what cost — has heated up since an engineering firm hiked a cost estimate by tens of millions of dollars.

An engineering firm has nearly doubled the estimated cost of a dam at Ragged Mountain Reservoir, prompting officials to halt design work on a project intended to supply drinking water to the region for the next 50 years.

A glass of tap water from Charlottesville-area spigots should start to taste better in the coming days as water officials combat algae that bloomed after high temperatures earlier this month.

The Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority will pay a consulting firm up to $12,000 to answer questions from residents and come up with a presentation for the City Council on May 6.