Tap Water Smells Fishy? (Austin, Manor: apartment, new house, cabinets)

[DugRay]

Just moved into Circle C from out-of-state, and I've noticed that our water has had a fishy smell for the past week or so. I called the water utility to see if this was a known issue, but they said it wasn't. They came out and flushed the line, but that didn't do much of anything. I've found some web bulletins on algae bloom from earlier in the fall, but nothing of late. Is this just normal? Is it still the algae problem that was last mentioned on the utility web site back in October? Or lake "turnover," which I found some references to? Or is it just my new house? (Hopefully not.) Thanks.

Doug

[Jennibc]

From where did you move? We are in cicle c but came from Washington state (the only place I've lived where I didn't need a filter on my tap) and the water here tastes awful, I don't know if I'd call it fishy though. We filter all of our water for cooking and drinking. If you are from one of the few places with delicious drinking water then the water here will have an odd smell that you are not used to.

[DugRay]

Jennibc, I came here from Georgia, where the water was good but we filtered for drinking with a Brita. Originally from Pennsylvania, though, where the water is very good. We actually got here in mid-summer (and rented another house for a few month), and I don't remember the water being that bad in the other house (this was before the algae bloom that was mentioned on the water utility's web site). Someone described the algae making the water smell "grassy," and maybe that's what it smells like. In either case, it's unpleasant, although it doesn't necessarily taste bad. It's more just the smell. We do filter drinking water through our refrigerator, but this is noticeable even when filling the tub, for example. I have seen mention on this forum about Austin water getting worse at certain times of the year. I guess my question is: Is this one of those times? Take a whiff of your unfiltered tap water: fishy? grassy? anything? Thanks.

[Trainwreck20]

We are just north of CC, and have not noticed anything of late....

[xtalman]

I am in Circle C Wildflower, and have noticed the fishy smell in the past 3 days or so.

[Jennibc]

I'm on the other side of Mopac from Wildflower and just went and checked. The water smells and taste no different than it usually does. Is the OP over in Wildflower?

[corundogs]

OK, THIS is the post that finally got me to register after reading here for almost 2 years...HA!

I thought that I was having a MOLD problem in my bathroom. In fact, my best friend came over yesterday and I asked her to smell it...was it mold? Or what was it?

But it as SOMETHING!

I am actually in central east (I think?) Off Manor and 51st, basically.

Is this the river "turning over" thing? Or is it something else?

I don't drink the water, so I couldn't tell you if it tastes bad or not.

But my bathroom has a definite smell that I have never experienced before.

Could this be the same thing?

[xtalman]

I used to live across the street from AMD (Lantana, ZIP 78735), and this fishy smell or bad tasting water would happen there too sometimes.

I also noticed a funny smell in my bathroom sometimes (no jokes please ), but it is more pronounced here than in my old apartment.

I just checked right now and either I've gotten accustomed to it, or the fishy smell is gone again.

[AustinTraveler]

I don't think the water smells fishy but to me it definitely smells like dirt. All you have to do is go walking down at Town Lake. You'll find the smell down there and then it will make sense when you turn your tap on. Definitely, definitely, definitely, filter all your water here.

[ATX Wahine]

In the 78736 here and YES, we have noticed the same thing in the past week! Our bathroom smells kinda poopy and gross and has been the source of much humor and head-scratching in our house. We thought we had leaky faucets rotting underneath the cabinets but couldn't find a thing.