Chlorine smell and taste still plaguing Weber Basin water users

SALT LAKE CITY — Days after water officials said the strong chlorine smell and taste should dissipate quickly, residents still report stinky water in Davis and several other counties.

Scott Paxman, General Manager at the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, says it is because two weekends ago, the rain that hit the frozen Wasatch Back brought a lot of naturally-occurring organic materials into the Weber Basin Watershed. 

“We have just a higher than normal organic load where we have to do extra treatment,” Paxman said. “It’s got a higher chlorine demand so we are adding more chlorine than normal.”

“It takes time”

Paxman explained they also started integrating more water from groundwater wells to improve the overall water quality. However, it still takes time for that new water to filter into the cities’ systems.

“Thursday, Friday we pretty much had it solved on our end of things,” Paxman said. “We were still, of course, delivering some of that water into the city systems so they are still seeing some of those taste and odor issues in their systems.”

Paxman said cities on the outer edges of the water district, like Syracuse, should use up that chlorine-smelling water by the end of this week at the latest.

Stinky, but safe

Paxman reiterated that while it does not smell or taste very good, the water has always met safety standards. Several cities have posted on social media assuring their residents that they have been testing the water to ensure it is in compliance with drinking water standards. They say they will continue to monitor the water quality closely.

Anyone with concerns is encouraged to reach out to the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. They are responsible for delivering treated water to residents within Davis, Weber, Morgan, Summit, and Box Elder counties.

Contributing: Mike Anderson, KSL TV