(An abbreviated and incorrect version of the following was published in the SCC Free Press, which was mainly my fault. The following has now been fact-checked with the Water Resource Services and includes information about their future plans.)

If it's summertime and the water smells, this must be Sun City Center.

Every summer the normally decent water supplied by the Hillsborough County Water Resource Services (WRS) takes a turn for the worst and starts to have a rotten egg taste and smell for many residents. The smell can be quite strong. Sheila Borchert, a resident of Burlington Circle, noted that her bathroom smells worst after she flushes the toilet than before.

All of the water for Sun City Center comes from the Lithia water plant. The lower water demand during the summer months causes the water to linger in the pipeline longer. Dr. Luke Mulford, a Water Quality Engineer with WRS, says that it takes "approximately 1.5 to 2 days during low demand seasons" for the Lithia water to reach us. A number of factors contribute to the low usage including snowbirds away for the summer, foreclosed homes and homeowners who forgo the cost of lawn watering because of the economy. As the water lingers and because of the warm ground temperatures, the chlorine (actually chloramine) loses it disinfecting ability and thingys grow that cause the bad smell and taste. Although the chlorine level may drop to zero, Mulford insists that the water is still safe to drink as long as there are no other contaminants.

Paul Vanderploog, director of WRS, has acknowledged that "we fully accept the responsibility to police our operating systems and stand accountable for the system's operation. … including water quality, safety, etc., associated with the operation of the county's potable water system." To reinforce this responsibility, WRS has installed additional flushing valves around town at system dead ends and has greatly increased its flushing activity. Much of the flushing around SCC is done by WRS's John Walsh. He feels that that the secret to good water quality is to "keep the water moving."

Here's a picture of WRS's Frank Hargrove testing a just installed flushing valve on Burlington Circle.

WRS is between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, although their water meets drinking water standards, it is not very appetizing, which they compensate for with increased line flushing. Unfortunately, that line flushing is occurring after the typical morning water usage. On the other hand, WRS can only add so much chloramine because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits the amount of residual generated by the chloramine's disinfecting action. This is because the residuals may include carcinogens.

Water treatment involves complicated engineering and chemistry. WRS is working with Tampa Bay Water, the regional supplier of water, to find a solution for the Sun City Center area. According to Mulford, Tampa Bay Water is advancing a project at the Lithia water plant to treat the water supply for hydrogen sulfide. The state-of-the-art water treatment facility is scheduled for substantial completion in August of 2011 and has a preliminary cost estimate of $30 million. Stayed tuned…

In the meantime, if you are bothered by the smell, particularly on your cold water line, call the Lithia water plant at 744-5544, extension 232 and let them know. They will test the water, often within hours, from the faucet closest to the water meter, i.e. ahead of any water neutralizer and water tank. The chlorine target level for water leaving the Lithia plant is 4.5 mg/L. By the time it gets to a homeowner, the target level is 1 to 1.5 mg/L. However, a concentration of 0.5 mg/L is acceptable. Readings below that have been recorded here within the past few weeks. Have them test the first water that comes out of the faucet, then run the water for several minutes, do a second test and compare the two. And keep calling if the quality remains bad!