Quick Guide to Common Taste and Odor Problems
|
| Sensory Cue
| Contaminant Source
| Treatment Option
|
|
What the water looks like:
|
| Brown-red water stains and discolored clothing
| Iron; groundwater
| Manganese greensand filter;chlorination;filtration;
sequestering agent
|
| Yellow water
| Tannin (humic acid); surface water
| Anion exchange; chlorination
|
| Black-stained fixtures and laundry
| Manganese; groundwater
| Manganese greensand filter
|
| Blackening and pitting of Stainless Steel sinks
| Chloride; surface and groundwater
| Reverse osmosis; ion exchange
|
| White deposits in pipe, water heater, soap scum
| Hard water; surface and groundwater
| Water softening
|
| Milky water
| Particles, air; surface and groundwater
| Flush Lines; Install air release valves at high points in
distribution system; clean hot water heaters; service filters
|
| Grittiness
| Fine sand, grit; groundwater
| Sand trap; run well pumps at lower gpm
|
| Turbidity
| Dirt, clay, silt, organic matter; surface water
| New well screen; sand trap; chlorination; enhanced coagulation/filtration;
run jar tests
|
| Blue-green stains on sinks and porcelain fixtures
| Brass, copper; surface and groundwater
| Stabilize water; pH adjustment
|
| What the water smells like:
|
| Musty, earthy
| Organic matter (leaves and algae) surface water
| Copper sulfate treatment of surface water; activated carbon; multilevel intake
(seek other source)
|
| Chlorine
| Chlorine; surface and groundwater
| Activated Carbon; correct chlorine feed; dechlorinate
|
| Detergent (foamy water)
| Wastewater discharge into water supply; surface water
| Eliminate source; chlorination
|
| Rotten egg
| Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas; groundwater
| Chlorination; manganese greensand filter; aeration
|
| What the water tastes like:
|
| Metallic
| Iron, manganese; groundwater
| Chlorination; aeration softening sequestering agent
|
| Salty (brackish)
| Sodium chloride, sulfate, inorganic salts; groundwater
| Reverse osmosis; ion exchange
|
