Bethlehem residents still struggling with water odors, town responding

BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Some residents in Bethlehem are raising questions over why their tap water still smells and tastes bad after two months of struggles. The Town of Bethlehem Public Works described that the issue is almost resolved, but they need more time to flush out the water.

"We get how problematic it is and we're doing everything we can to make it go away because it's not pleasant to smell and it's not pleasant to taste," said Paul Penman, commissioner with Bethlehem Public Works.

Penman said the department has been receiving reports of badly smelling and tasting water since late October. One local restaurant owner who did not want to go on camera, said he had to purchase a $1,500 water filter just to avoid the smells from interfering with his business. Penman described that the cause of this odor, stemmed from an algae discovery.

“It was a musty, earthy odor and what we initially did was we suspected algae in the reservoir," said Penman. "Unfortunately, one of the by-products when you kill the algae is this odor compound which got into the water."

Penman also said that environmental factors such as periods of drought and the harsh change from warm temperatures to cold, played a role in the downfall. Now, the department has decided to add two new chemicals into the mix-- potassium permanganate and carbon -- at the New Salem Water Treatment facility, where all the water is managed.

“One of the things that we've added to the treatment process to address the odor issue is adding carbon to the system," said Penman. "That forms as part of these blankets and then the water, as it goes through it, it adheres to the carbon and settles out of the water. So you get clearer water coming up through that blanket."

The chemicals work together to remove all particles from the water in a multi-step process. Penman also said that these are industry-standard.

“These are industry-accepted treatment processes. Used regularly throughout the state and country so they’re perfectly safe," said Penman. "We have been working seven days a week, having crews out flushing hydrants."

One area that has seen the most problems is Cherry Avenue. One neighbor, who didn't want to go on camera, said the water smelled like turtle water. Another neighbor told me she bought a Brita filter and has seen better results.

Penman said the water plant has been producing water that is odor-free for the last nine days. However, it will take a little longer for that new water to reach all homes.

“What the issue is, our system has 227 miles of pipe and there’s over 10 million gallons of water in the system, so the only way to eliminate it once it’s in the system is to flush the water out of the system or use the water up," said Penman.

There are over 600 hydrants that have to be flushed, and each hydrant takes anywhere from about an hour to four hours to flush. Penman hopes to have the system-wide flush complete within one to two weeks, however he said it's also very weather dependent.

During above-freezing temperatures, they can double their production, but in the current freezing temperatures, they cannot work as fast because the water freezes. Penman said overall, the number of water reports have significantly decreased in recent weeks.

“Since the carbon treatment system has come online, we’ve severely reduced the odor," said Penman.

The Albany County Department of Health also confirmed that the water is safe to drink. Penman said that boiling the water would actually make the situation worse because high temperatures bring out the smell.

He also recommends washing your clothes with cold water instead of warm, to avoid the smell transferring onto clothes. In the meantime, anyone with complaints can report them to Bethlehem's Public Works using their online form.