Nothing fishy in water smell

December 06, 2012, 9:00 pm by Adam Troxtell

Residents of Marble Falls need not worry about any strange smells coming from their tap water these past few weeks, as its nothing more than a natural event making their water smell fishy.

Public Works Director Perry Malkemus said his office has taken calls from dozens of residents worried that their tap water smells like it came from an aquarium. Malkemus said there is nothing to fear and the smell is just a result of the lake turning over.

"When we get cool mornings and then hot afternoons, that’s what causes the water to smell,” Malkemus said. As the water churns from the temperature change, algae and material on the bottom is stirred up throughout Lake Marble Falls. All of the material is filtered out, but it leaves behind a distinct odor.

"The water is fine, we test it all of the time,” Malkemus said. "It’s just at certain times of the year, it may smell like fish.”

When Public Works gets calls from residents about the smell, the only thing they can do, Malkemus said, is flush the lines and bring in fresh water. The problem is this could also lead to more households or businesses getting the smelly water in their taps, depending on how churned up the lake is when the flushing begins.

"We’ve been flushing the lines all over town,” Malkemus said. "That’s the only thing you can do.”

For more of this story, see Friday's Highlander.