Water smell, taste bad? Climate change could be the cause, according to Austin Water
Austin's recent uptick in reports of water with taste and odor issues in the past week could be caused by climate change, according to Austin Water.
Austin Water said it started seeing an uptick in calls to the emergency dispatch line on June 30 totaling seven calls regarding taste and odor issues. It typically receives one or two calls a day, said Scott Sticker, a spokesperson for Austin Water.
The number of calls received that following weekend were typical and then increased Monday with 13 calls, said Sticker.
“At that point, we had detected the issue in our carbon feed line that needed to be addressed and completed those repairs,” Sticker said.
After repairs were made, the utility received three calls Thursday, near the typical call volume, Sticker noted.
Austin Water uses powder-activated carbon to capture organic matter in the source water to reduce taste and odor, Sticker said. When it receives a complaint, the utility increases the carbon, so it relies on customer feedback to know when there’s an issue.
The spokesman said that taste and odor issues can result from different organic materials in the source water. The climate’s effects on source water might be the main reason it's experiencing issues.
“Our source water is experiencing increasing impacts from climate change,” Sticker said. “We are in a drought, and Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan are half full. We’ve experienced extreme temperatures over the last few weeks that also lead to the kinds of taste and odor issues people have been experiencing.”
There is no concentrated or specific area where the calls came from, Sticker said.
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Taylor Smith has lived in Austin since 2011 and used to view Austin as a good water system compared with other places he has lived. He said he has noticed the water’s bad taste since at least mid-June.
Now, he avoids drinking tap water. He’s resorted to buying packaged water and drinking other things at home.
The water "seems to be really cyclical,” Smith said. “It'll be terrible one day. It'll be OK the next, but I'm just, you know, I got kind of exhausted with trying it.”
Because of the water’s inconsistent taste, he said he believes someone is failing on the job.
“This shouldn't be happening, especially as much we pay to live in this town,” Smith said.
Austin Water advises people dealing with water issues to contact its emergency dispatch line at 512-972-1000 so it can investigate complaints.
“Getting those calls helps us pinpoint the problem and respond quickly,” said Sticker. “Throughout this time, the water has been safe to drink. We have monitored our disinfection protocols multiple times a day, every day, to make sure that our water meets regulatory standards for public health.”
More: Austin Water review highlights progress, improvements to make after 2022 boil water notice
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin experiencing stinky water once again, likely caused by climate
