KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some South Knoxville neighbors serviced by the Knox Chapman Utility District said their tap water has started having a strong odor and odd taste recently.
"Right now it tastes like it's full of dirt and mud. It's not good," said Rick Shepard, who lives near South Doyle High School. "It tasted funny about three months ago and I contacted Knox Chapman. They came down, took a sample, and told me there was nothing wrong with it. And I told them I need him to come here and get him a drink."
Shepard said he's been buying bottled water for months.
"I don't drink it no more. And I bought it to make coffee with, too," he said.
Knox Chapman Utility District said algae is causing the water to have an earthy smell and taste. It posted a notice on its website after calls and social media messages came in, and said the water is still safe to consume.
"It is a naturally occurring thing in all waters where you have warm temperatures. And as we all know, we've had tremendously hot temperatures for the last month. And what happens when the water gets warm like that, you have some microscopic growth of algae. As we go through the treatment process of disinfection, then there's some compounds that are released in the water called methyl-isoborneol and geosmin. And that's what the musty odor is, it is 100% safe," said Rick Kirby, a senior consultant for WK Dickson Engineers.
Scott Prater, the general manager of the utility district, also said all neighbors can do is wait it out.
"There is no quick fix to the situation, it's going to run its course. A good rain, a couple of inches of rain and some cooler temperatures — that would help the situation immensely," said Prater.
He said the compounds are potent, even in small quantities. He said one teaspoon of the compound in around 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools of the water would still cause an odor.
"Animals can smell it, that's how they find fresh water. So it is naturally occurring in the system. The only way we can get rid of it would be with carbon and we're not set up to feed that. That would be a different process with these [polymeric membrane modules]," he said.
He said people should call the utility company if they have any questions about the quality of the water at their homes.
"I just want them to get it straightened out. I'm about afraid to let my dogs drink it," said Shepard.
KUB said it received no reports about a water quality issue.
Prater said to make the water taste and smell better, customers can refrigerate it and run it through a carbon filtration system.
A spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation also shared a statement about the water quality. It is available below.
"After consulting with Knox-Chapman Utility District, there is no indication of any issues within the water treatment plant. Primary complaints are coming from the area served by the John Sevier water tank. Knox-Chapman is in the process of flushing areas served by the John Sevier water tank and adjusting treatment to prevent further development of taste and odor issues in the future. It is our understanding that Knox-Chapman is currently consulting with a contract lab to determine the exact concentrations in the water.
Due to current environmental conditions, the French Broad River is at a low flow level and the water temperature is warmer than normal, providing good conditions for increased populations of organisms that are normally present in the water, like Geosmin and Methyl-Isoborneol (MIB). These are naturally occurring compounds that can impact water taste and produce an earthy or musty smell. Currently there is no federal or state Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for these compounds, as they are not considered a public health risk."