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Cleveland Utilities customers complain about taste and smell of tap water

From Local 3 News: Hundreds of Cleveland residents say their tap water smells nasty and tastes like dirt and they want to know what's in it. &n

From Local 3 News: Hundreds of Cleveland residents say their tap water smells nasty and tastes like dirt and they want to know what’s in it.

 

Resident Phyllis Wilbanks said her husband first noticed the water tasted different weeks ago.

 

“When he first noticed it, he was sure there was mold in our lines. He was like something is terribly wrong,” she explained.

Wilbanks and her husband changed their water filters several times but it didn’t help, and then she noticed a horrid smell when she was showering.

 

“It’s like oh my gosh. It’s swamp water, it’s smelly. It just smelled like hot algae.”

 

Algae is the cause of the dirty tasting water. Steve Barger, the Director of Environmental Regulatory Compliance for Cleveland Utilities, said there’s an excessive amount of algae growing in the Hiwassee River, which is the utility’s water source.

 

“It’s affecting our source water and it’s going into our plants. So it’s really not a treatment issue with our plants, but of the water that we’re getting out of the river,” said Barger.

 

He said this is the first time they’ve ever dealt with a water issue like this.

The combination of warmer days and low river flow is what is creating the increase of algae.

 

“Our plants are generally not designed for taste and odor even though we have taken some additional treatment measures. We are hoping that they have worked somewhat,” said Barger.

 

Cleveland Utilities tests the water daily and found it safe to drink. They say this is something that has to run its course.

 

Wilbanks refuses to drink the water and is only cooking with filtered water, but said something needs to be done.

 

“It’d be great if they’d offered us a credit for those of us who are buying bottled water in lieu of getting, because not everyone has treatment in their homes and this just frankly it’s undrinkable, it’s gross,” said Wilbanks.

 

Cleveland Utilities said there is no timeline for when things will clear up, but they hope that the river will wash away the algae soon and residents will go back to having better tasting water.

 

You can check out the Cleveland Utilities Facebook page for updates on the water.