Woman says water in her Bethlehem home still tastes funky
A Bethlehem woman says the stench and taste of her drinking water at home is awful.
It’s an issue many residents in the town have complained about for months.
The Bethlehem Department of Public Works said this has been a chronic issue.
Jessica Dillon says the problem started in her home in October.
“A light odor that had smelled rather earthy and then transitioned to an odor of decay,” Dillon said.
It continued to get stronger and so did Dillon’s concern.
“When it smelled like decay it would cling to your clothing, it was in your hair, it was on your skin. It was nauseating. It was undrinkable.”
DPW looked into the problem in November after receiving a rash of complaints.
The foul odor came from the Vly Creek Reservoir in New Scotland. There was an algae bloom.
It’s since been treated.
DPW commissioner, Paul Penman says there are significant improvements.
“We are getting more and more notices every day that it’s completely cleared up in certain areas,” he said. “Whereas in the past, you would turn on the tap and smell the water. Now it’s becoming more of a, ‘if I’m in the shower, I get a faint smell.'”
However, the problem persists in dead-end roads. Dillon lives in one of those neighborhoods.
She even bought a water filter system in December, “as a way of mitigating some of the odor and what we were getting early was particles.”
It costs her between $1,500 and $2,000. It has helped mitigate the taste and smell.
Commissioner Penman said Dillon’s Bethlehem neighborhood is monitored daily.
“If we notice any odor or any smell or taste, we are flushing it. I think we flushed it two times this week and we will continue to flush until that area is resolved.”
Dillon said fixing the problem is taking longer than anticipated.
“I would have preferred it had a more rapid response. I do feel the town has made a concerted effort in recent weeks to respond to some of our requests for assistance,” she said.
Penman understands her frustration.
“We [DPW] can always do a better job communicating. This was an unprecedented event. It just took time.”
Even though this was a result of an algae bloom the water is still safe to drink.
If you notice that your drinking water is starting to smell like a chemical, Penman said it’s chlorine you’re smelling and it’s a good sign because you’re getting fresh water.