NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - People in some Peninsula neighborhoods said there's something a little off with their water - there is an earthy odor and taste.
The Newport News Waterworks Department said they are aware of the issue and the water is safe to drink. But some people just can't swallow that.
'It looks fine, but looks can be deceiving," said Dartania Emery, who noticed the issue Monday. "It smells like dirt because I used to help my great-grandmother garden, so I know what dirt smells like so yeah it smells like dirt.
The Newport News Waterworks Department made a post to their Facebook page apologizing about the issue and saying the water is safe to drink and meets all the requirements to keep it flowing.
"We believe it`s due to algae. We had a lot of heat last week, a lot of growth in our reservoirs and we think the algae that`s one of the byproducts that is put off is the taste compounds. and that's coming through our system," said Scott Dewhirst the Assistant Director.
But Emery is skeptical. "There's no way I'm going to drink that. It doesn't go down really well. I'm really scared to drink it cause I don't want to get sick."
Emery isn't the only one to notice something strange. People have mentioned the funk smell and taste in different neighborhoods, including Deep Creek, Lee's Mill and Edge Hill in Yorktown.
Also in Yorktown, Jeanie posted a comment that said, "I can't make coffee with it because it tastes so bad."
In Hampton, Christie said she'll be going back to bottled water.
Newport News Waterworks said in three to five days, the smell and taste should go back to normal. Until then, Emery plans on only using bottled water.
Waterworks put out the facebook post to let people know they're aware of the issue and they are not proud of it.
"We apologize for it. this is not what we want to be known for. we want to make sure we put out a good product all the time and have no one question the quality of water," said Dewhirst.
