BROOKLINE, Pa. (KDKA) — Some neighbors in the South Hills have questions about a recent change in the look and taste of their drinking water.

They reached out to KDKA investigator Meghan Schiller and asked, “What’s going on with the water?”

READ MORE: Fight In Ohio GOP Senate Debate Leads To Demand For Apology

Forget about the taste, Tammy Garvin said she can’t stand the smell.

“I don’t trust it. Even though they said it’s ok, you just don’t trust it,” said Garvin.

She’s a Brookline grandmother who said she won’t even give the water to her grandchildren. She joined the conversation about the water on her neighborhood’s Facebook page, keeping her comment short and sweet;

“I just wrote on there, ‘Yeah, it sucks,’” she said.

Turns out, she’s not imagining things. She simply somehow missed the notice from Pennsylvania American Water.

READ MORE: Washington County Drug Bust Leads To 3 Arrests

The company told KDKA it temporarily changed the disinfectant from chloramine to chlorine. The different taste and smell will last until April 25 for customers across southern Allegheny, Washington and portions of Beaver and Fayette counties. The change started on March 14.

Another Brookline resident took out chlorine test strips that he uses for his swimming pool, saying the chlorine measures too high for his liking. He’s buying bottled water for now, but not all residents noticed a change. Theresa King uses a filter and didn’t taste or smell any difference.

“I’ll still use it and still brush my teeth and wash my hands and I’m still going to drink from the filter,” said King.

Pennsylvania American Water wants its customers to know it’s safe, adding:

“The process is done to clean our water distribution system and improve water quality. This annual maintenance program is typical for water systems across the Commonwealth and the country that generally use chloramine.”

MORE NEWS: Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey Prepared To Tackle Gun Violence Issue Head On

The full statement can be found below:

We understand that a change in the aesthetics of your drinking water can be concerning and want to assure our customers that their drinking meets or surpasses all federal drinking water standards.

To maintain this high level of quality, the company annually conducts system maintenance, which is responsible for this temporary change in their drinking water. This maintenance program has been enacted bi-yearly since the company transitioned to chloramines in 2012.

Per the alert you shared, Pennsylvania American Water has temporarily switched the disinfectant in our drinking water for customers in southern Allegheny, Washington, and portions of our Beaver and Fayette County drinking water systems from chloramine to chlorine.

This maintenance program began on March 14 and will conclude on April 25. During this time, our customers may notice a slight change in the taste and smell of their drinking water. The process is done to clean our water distribution system and improve water quality. This annual maintenance program is typical for water systems across the Commonwealth and the country that generally use chloramine.

Pennsylvania American Water also continues to monitor and routinely collects and tests water samples to monitor for chloramine and chlorine levels throughout our systems during this change.

To reduce the taste or smell of chlorine, Pennsylvania American Water recommends refrigerating cold tap water in an open pitcher. Within a few hours, the chlorine taste and odor will disappear.

We thank our customers for their patience and understanding throughout this process and take their concerns seriously.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here