Why does my water sometimes taste or smell different?

Air Dissipating from Water in Stages

Some people are more sensitive to tastes and odors than others and this may affect how they perceive their water quality. 

Taste or smell of water in your home

Often household odors (e.g., drains, compost buckets) may be mistaken for odor in drinking water. Fill up a glass of water and move it to another room to determine if tap water is the source of the odor.   

If the odor is from hot water only, water heater maintenance may be required. HEALTH TIP: Only use cold water for cooking and drinking! Why? see our Lead and Copper webpage.

Water sitting unused in plumbing for a long period of time may develop a taste or odor from the pipe material itself. Flush suspect taps until the water runs cold to bring in fresh water from the water main serving your home.

Remove and clean faucet aerators periodically and replace water filters according to the manufacture’s guidelines.

If a taste or odor issue persists in your drinking water, contact a TVWD Water Quality Specialist at 503-848-3000.

Category: Taste or Smell
What if it smells Earthy or fishy?

This is could be the result of natural algae growth in the watershed, often caused by a change of season. Different types of algae can cause your water to smell fishy, moldy, grassy or even like cucumbers or violets. These variations are purely aesthetic and have no effect on the safety of your water. This can become more noticeable in summer when temperatures are highest. Treatment plant operators may make adjustments to control the variations.

There are a few tricks you can try to alleviate this like but storing a pitcher of water either on ice or in the refrigerator, allowing it to chill and the chlorine to dissipate, is probably the easiest and most efficient way to improve taste. 

Category: Taste or Smell
What if it smells like disinfectant?

Some people are more sensitive to tastes and odors than others and chlorine or chloramine is often most noticeable. Chlorine has been added to drinking water in small amounts since the early 1900s to destroy disease-causing pathogens. Occasional fluctuations in flavor or smell do not indicate an increase or decrease in the disinfectant. It is more likely due to a change in water temperature (especially when it’s warmer) or water age, indicating that the chlorine is dissipating. This generally subsides on its own after a few hours or days and is no cause for alarm. 

Disinfectant residual levels (a measure of how much chlorine is in the water) are monitored 24/7 at all entry points and over a dozen locations throughout TVWD’s system. Residual readings are also collected from sample stations (near you!) hundreds of times each month by Water Quality staff to confirm water quality through ongoing operations.

Category: Taste or Smell
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