People on the West Side of Columbus are complaining about smelly water. They want to know what's causing it and if it’s harmful.
"This past week, it's gotten bad," resident Russell Rose said. "[It’s a] chemical smelling odor, like fertilizer or pesticides."
Rose is anxious to even wash the dishes in the water coming out of his tap lately.
"The drinking water, it has the clothes smelling funny," Rose said.
His big worry is his two little boys.
"I don't give it to them, I don't even like bathing them in it but I have to," Rose said.
They've gone to bottled water for drinking, but coming in contact with the tap water is unavoidable.
"I'm very concerned about my health and my kids health," Rose said.
"It's purely aesthetic, it has no health issues or detriments whatsoever," spokesperson George Zonders said.
It all comes down to algae. It's always in the reservoirs where the city pulls its water from, but no rain means the algae doesn't move.
"The algae have had time to eat, grow and multiply," Zonders said. "You taste the by-product of what happens when we disinfect and kill the algae."
It's called geosmine. Some people are sensitive to the smell and taste but it isn't harmful.
Powder activated carbon is being added to the treatment process to help get rid of it. Rose hopes it takes hold soon.
There’s no word how long the smelly water could persist. The Division of Water said a good rain will help it subside as well as the adjustment to the treatment.