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Causes of taste and odour in water

Short answer

Tastes and odours arise from algae, decaying organic matter, dissolved gases like hydrogen sulphide, minerals (iron, manganese), sewage, industrial chemicals, and chlorine compounds. Removal uses aeration, activated carbon, or oxidation.

What are the causes of tastes and odour in water from various sources?

Taste and odour in water arise from the following causes:

  1. Algae and other micro-organisms: blue-green algae, diatoms and actinomycetes give fishy, grassy, earthy or musty smells, especially in lakes and reservoirs in warm weather.
  2. Decaying organic matter: decomposing leaves, vegetation and animal matter give musty or swampy taste and odour.
  3. Dissolved gases: hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell) in ground water, and methane.
  4. Dissolved minerals and salts: iron and manganese (metallic taste), sodium chloride (salty), magnesium and sulphate (bitter taste), high TDS.
  5. Sewage and industrial wastes: phenols, oils, chemicals, pesticides, and detergents.
  6. Chlorine and its compounds: excess chlorine or chlorophenols from disinfection of water that has phenols.
  7. Pipes and storage: corrosion of iron or copper pipes, bacterial growth in dead ends, and stagnant water.

Removal methods include aeration, activated carbon, chlorination or ozonation, and protecting the source.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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