Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, December 5, 2016, 4:38 PM
Town Square
Bad-tasting water due to Hetch Hetchy water reductions
Original post made on Dec 6, 2016
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, December 5, 2016, 4:38 PM
Comments (11)
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Dec 6, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Thank you for the explanation I was getting concerned.
a resident of Shoreline West
on Dec 6, 2016 at 2:59 pm
"blending"??? So "treated" water from a "water treatment plant" (a sewage treatment plant???) is "blended" with sweet water from Hetch Hetchy and the result tastes like "pond scum"??? Hmmmmm ... so is "water treatment plant" a not-so-secret code for "TREATED SEWAGE"???
a resident of North Whisman
on Dec 6, 2016 at 3:22 pm
@Mark, that startled me at first, too, but reports have been consistent that "grey water" i.e. treated sewage is used only for outdoor uses such as irrigation as is not mixed into our drinking water. According to the article, the bad taste in the tap water comes from sediment that had accumulated in the pipes, presumably due to those pipes standing idle for some time.
The other thing to keep in mind that all H2O molecules on the planet participate in a continuous water cycle, where water is consumed, then released where it evaporates and comes back to us as precipitation, completing the cycle. Every drop we drink has at some point been in contact with ick :-)
a resident of Waverly Park
on Dec 6, 2016 at 8:48 pm
We have relatives who live in Oklahoma and every summer their water starts to taste "off", something to do with algae growth. Come fall, cooler weather, water goes back to regular taste.
I've always thought we are so lucky to have such wonderful water straight from the tap. Hope this A is very temporary and it gets back to normal soon!
a resident of another community
on Dec 7, 2016 at 10:31 am
What will happen to our water when they get rid of hetch hetchy dam?
If the environmentalists have there way, our water will surely smell and taste like sewage.
We need more dams, not get rid of them. Support more dams so we can all have safer clean water.
Another thing, the water departments should only be in the business of water and not waste time playing landlords. Maybe that way they could avoided this bad smelling water issue.
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Dec 7, 2016 at 6:52 pm
It's just a seasonal thing. Happens in many places around the country...world i would imagine, not just CA.
a resident of Monta Loma
on Dec 8, 2016 at 7:48 pm
Seasonal? Did you even bother to read the article?
The bad taste and smell is from the use of a different source of water and pipe that had sediment in them.
Once the sediment clears the taste and smell should go away.
NOTHING to do with seasons or the weather.
a resident of Rex Manor
on Dec 8, 2016 at 8:39 pm
A different source within SFPUC,is due to Seasonal Rainfall! Besides Hetch-Hetchy,the other reservoirs need to have water used from them during the rainy season. When they switch, different parts of the piping network get used, as stated in the article.
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Dec 9, 2016 at 6:12 am
It's reported every late fall when these switches are made. Check it out Otto.
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Dec 9, 2016 at 6:20 am
10 second search, here, from 2010. Sounds like the same exact discussions. It happens most every year in the bay area this time of year as water sources are changed/blended/brought online. The long time locals will tell you as well:
Web Link
a resident of another community
on Dec 10, 2016 at 8:30 am
Here's a tune for that guy talking smack about environmentalists,
entitled "Them Hippies was Right":
Web Link
Don't miss out
on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.
Post a comment
Stay informed.
Get the day's top headlines from Mountain View Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.