Fertilizer Smell And Taste Pervades Toronto Tap Water

Water treatment plant upgrades left tap water in Toronto smelling and tasting a little strange this month.

Toronto Water said its staff investigated the problem and found that R.C. Harris Treatment Plant upgrades are the origin of the taste and smell problem, according to CBC News.

“Toronto Water uses aluminum sulphate as part of the normal water treatment process, the statement continued, which can generate hydrogen sulphide gas that ‘resembles the smell of boiled eggs,’” CBC News reported.

Toronto Water said, per CBC News: "This gas entered into some of the treated drinking water when the basin was put back into operation. Toronto Water has taken the settling basin out of operation this morning and the taste and odor will dissipate [soon]."

Toronto Water added that the odor has no impact on water quality. “The drinking water was entirely safe throughout the whole time,” Toronto Water General Manager Lou Di Gironimo said, per The Toronto Star. “We never, ever exceed the maximum allowable concentration [of chlorine].”

The utility has gradually increased chlorine levels in the water, CBC News reported.

It took some detective work by the utility to figure out what the problem might be. “Di Gironimo said city staff received around 65 complaints about the water taste and smell, but it took some time to figure out the source of the problem because there were varying descriptions of the problem,” CTV reported.

Toronto residents, many of whom used bottled water while the taste and odor problem persisted, issued some harsh critiques of their local tap water: "It kind of tasted like there was chemicals in it," said Siobhan Fahey, noting that the smell and taste reminded her of fertilizer, according to CBC News.