Water smells like ‘rotten eggs,’ the Town of Awendaw’s plan to fix it
AWENDAW, S.C. (WCSC) — A smelly situation in the Town of Awendaw is leaving some neighbors not drinking their tap water, but the town confirms it’s still safe to drink as they’re working on a plan to fix the stench.
Town of Awendaw residents, Don Mangun and Danielle Nelson, say they’re in the midst of this stinky situation.
“It seems like every two to three months the water really gets smelling bad,” Mangun said.
“But it has been every day since around Christmas time this last year,” Nelson said.
And they say it’s taking over their lives, adding that the water smells incredibly pungent.
“Like rotten eggs, a rotten mop or something like that,” Mangun said. “It’s just horrible.”
“Trying to brush your teeth is nauseating to where I’ve had to start using bottled water,” Nelson said. “Washing my clothes — sometimes I have to wash clothes several cycles.”
Awendaw’s Town Administrator Katharine Watkins says the smell is coming from hydrogen sulfide found in the water, which is common in the coastal Charleston Area and in the Santee Aquifer. They say some folks can smell this as low as 0.5 parts per billion, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Plus, the smell has been stronger recently because the state is in a drought.
So, to help fix this, the town has purchased a chlorine analyzer for $50,000 worth of American Rescue Plan Act funding, which will provide chlorine residual information 24 hours a day. They can then use that information to help them better treat the water to offset the hydrogen sulfide. She says they hope it will be fully operational in the middle of June.
Watkins says the water may still smell off and on after then, but not nearly as bad. The town is also asking folks to do their part in the meantime.
“Which means turning on the spicket in their house,” Watkins said. “Turning on the spicket outside. And also flushing it out of your hot water tank because if it’s still sitting in there, and you turn on your hot water heater, some of that smell can still be residual there.”
Watkins says their water department also flushes the system every 45 days to keep it flowing. When they receive complaints, the town’s water operator will conduct targeted flushing of the system for that area.
She says they’ve also been working with the South Carolina Rural Water Association for additional solutions. They have that budgeted in the next fiscal year.
Watkins says the water system is in compliance with all state and federal regulatory agencies.
“You can’t put a price on someone’s health,” Nelson said. “And neither should the town. They should fix these issues.”
“Just know that the water is safe,” Watkins said. “…They’re in mind that it will take some time. We understand that it is a nuisance. We understand that people are making those complaints. We just asked that you work with us.”
If neighbors wish to get their homes tested, they are asked to contact the town’s water department directly at water@townofawendawsc.org and can receive the results after a few days.
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