COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia Water tweeted on Monday that the agency received multiple customer complaints about a chlorine scent and taste in the water.
One resident said she thought she left bleach residue in her sink.
"I thought it was from the night before because I cleaned my sink out with bleach,” Andrea Whittleton said.
Another resident, Jacqueline Bowman, said, "I do not drink it because it’s a little too sulky.”
A family visiting from New York said they were forewarned about the quality of Columbia water.
"We got to the hotel at the Hilton and they emphasized drinking bottled water. I didn’t ask questions, but one could assume," Luke Hanley said.
Columbia Water Communications Manager Robert Yanity said the water is not harmful to the public. He said it was mainly taste and smell.
Yanity said the root of the issue was a chemical imbalance. Chlorine is used to help treat and disinfect the water.
“So, it’s always present, but we actually have an additional feed of ammonia to mask the taste and odor of chlorine," Yanity said. “So it’s always present but we actually have an additional feed of ammonia to mask the taste and odor of chlorine."
Typically, when the chlorine is coupled with the proper amount of ammonia, the water doesn't have a pool taste. Robert Yanity assures customers the water is safe to drink.
Columbia Water said as soon as the agency was aware of the issue, it worked to flush the system to get clean water out to the areas impacted.