Is your smelly tap water safe to drink? Here’s what Sacramento city officials say

Has your tap water recently acquired an earthy, organic smell and taste?

Well, there’s a reason for that. This natural, reoccurring phenomenon tends to happen in the region’s water during the late summer and early fall, according to a city of Sacramento news release Wednesday.

“As summer turns into fall, naturally occurring organic materials accumulate in upstream reservoirs and in rivers — where we get most of our water from,” said Mark Severeid, a Department of Utilities water quality superintendent, in the news release. “Although the treatment process filters and disinfects the water, some organic compounds remain.”

What is causing the water to smell or taste different?

The reason for the change in smell and taste in the city’s tap water is an organic compound called geosmin, according to the news release.

Geosmin “give(s) off an ‘earthy’ taste or smell” like the air after a rainy day, Severeid said in the news release. Drinking the compound does not impact residents’ safety, according to the city of Sacramento’s 2022 Consumer Confidence Report.

Nevertheless, city staff are planing to upgrade the water treatment to help improve the water’s taste and odor, according to the news release.

Who will notice the difference in tap water?

Sacramento residents who receive their water from the American River may notice the taste or smell the most, according to city staff members.

A total of 80% of Sacramento’s drinking water is supplied from the American River and the Sacramento River. The other 20% comes from 28 groundwater wells “that pull water from an underground layer that acts like a reservoir,” according to the city of Sacramento’s website.

Who exactly gets their water from the American River depends on the time of day and demand, said Carlos Eliason, a spokesman for the city’s utilities department. But proximity is a general guideline.

“People who live near the American River may tend to get more American (River water),” Eliason said.

The earthy taste and smell can be neutralized by adding lemon or lime to the water, or simply chilling it.

When I should be concerned about my water?

Earthy-smelling water is nothing to be concerned about — even cloudy water can be normal.

Cloudy or “milky” water is harmless and usually clears up soon after entering a glass, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This effect is typically caused by air bubbles, more likely when it’s cold outside.

However, people should call the Sacramento Water Quality Lab at (916) 808-5011 if their tap water starts to look brown, purple or even pink.

“There’s a couple different colors that could happen,” Eliason said in a February interview with The Bee. “(It is) usually mainly due to the quality of pipes on the residential side.”

After Sacramento distributes drinking water through its system, it enters residential piping to reach consumers. Many Sacramento homes have old plumbing, Eliason said.

To take a deeper look at Sacramento’s water source, log on to the city’s data portal. There you’ll find information on health standards, aesthetic standards and lead and copper rules. You can search contaminants by name and view if they were detected in your water.

This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 5:00 AM.