Some Union County residents say water smells and tastes funny

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Many living in Indian Trail and the Waxhaw area, including the Lawson and Silver Creek neighborhoods, say their water smells and tastes funny.

“The water smells like rotten eggs and tastes like rotten eggs,” John Michael Veltri said.

He says he coaches middle school football and typically brings the team water jugs from home.

“I usually fill up my water jugs here at the house because it’s a lot easier and just transport them, but, lately, the boys are saying, ‘Man, this water really tastes bad,’” he said.

And Veltri’s not alone. Comments on social media say the water “tastes and smells like a gas station toilet,” “dirt,” “grassy,” and “moldy almost.”

Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke went to the western part of the county to see for himself and says the water smelled and tasted more “earthy.”

The utility, Union County Water, has a lot of information about this on their website, under the heading “Seasonal Taste & Odor.” By seasonal, they mean it happens in the spring or fall.

Union County Water emailed Action 9:

“Yes, some customers are observing a change to the taste and odor of their water. We have shared information about this temporary seasonal change in direct communications with our customers over the past week as we want to reassure them that their water remains safe to drink. All tests indicate that our water continues to meet or exceed all federal and state standards for drinking water quality.

Not all customers will notice the taste and odor changes, but for those who do, we’ve also shared optional tips that can make the water more palatable, such as chilling the water or using a filtered pitcher or faucet filter.

We’ve also shared with our customers that our operations team is conducting targeting flushing of water lines throughout the system in an effort to help mitigate an impact. The underlying cause is naturally occurring algae blooms in the water source, which should naturally resolve soon.

As for your question about other utilities, we have seen news reports of similar situations in the Carolinas. The same factors likely apply: similar intake set-up for their water source, similar extended hot weather patterns into the fall, water sources with higher levels of iron and manganese, and other factors."

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