Why does my water have an unpleasant taste and/or odor?

It is very difficult to separate taste from odor because these two human senses are so closely related. Most occurrences of a peculiar taste or odor in the water can be grouped into one of the following three categories: 

  • Chlorinous, bleachy, chemical, and medicinal: A common cause for a chlorinous, bleachy, chemical, or medicinal taste or odor in the water: the small addition of chlorine to the water by the District to make sure that the water is clean and safe to drink.
  • Sulfurous (rotten egg-like), decayed, and sewage-like: Two common causes of a sulfurous decayed, or sewage-like taste or odor in the water are bacteria growing in your drain or bacteria growing in your water heater.
  • Musty, moldy, or earthy: A common cause of a musty, moldy, or earthy taste or odor in the water is bacteria growing in your drain.

Causes of tastes or odors in water must be carefully investigated. Please be prepared to answer the following questions when reporting this problem to us at 831-475-8500:

  • What is the location of the premises where the taste or odor occurred?
  • When was the taste or odor first detected?
  • Is the taste or odor in the hot or cold water, or both?
  • How would you describe the taste or odor?

The answers to these questions will assist us in finding the cause of the taste or odor and will also suggest corrective steps to take. A customer service representative should respond to calls regarding taste and odor within one business day.

Show All Answers

1. Why does my water have an unpleasant taste and/or odor?
2. Why do I sometimes get cloudy water coming out of my faucets?
3. What is hard water and what can I do about it?
4. We recently purchased a new dishwasher. In order to establish the correct settings, the dishwasher requires us to program the level of hardness/softness of the water. What is the water hardness?
5. My showerhead and shower doors have a white film on them. What causes it and what should I do about it?
6. What is the level of fluoride in the water?
7. Why does my water look dirty, have sediment and/or particles in it?
8. My showerhead and shower doors have a white film on them. What causes it and what should I do about it?
9. We recently purchased a new dishwasher. In order to establish the correct settings, the dishwasher requires us to program the level of hardness/softness of the water. What is the water hardness in the
10. What is hard water and what can I do about it?
11. What is Trichloropropane (TCP)?
12. How much Trichloropropane (TCP) is in my water?
13. Where did the Trichloropropane (TCP) come from and how long has it been there?
14. Why wasn’t the Trichloropropane (TCP) discovered earlier?
15. Are there any health effects to drinking water with Trichloropropane (TCP)?