Tap water has become cloudy and tastes bad; residents buy bottled water for bathing

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The tap water became cloudy and had an unpleasant taste, so residents bought bottled water to use for bathing. After a day without water supply, the water coming from the taps was not only cloudy but also had a strange odor. These past two days, many residents in Xiqin Town, Yanping District, Nanping City have had to rely on buying drinking water for cooking. A large number of residents and students from nearby universities flocked to stores to buy water, even bottled water for bathing. The cloudy and altered taste of the water has led many residents to suspect pollution from local pig farms, as there are numerous such farms upstream in the Xita Creek, which supplies water to Xicen Town. Although officials from the local water supply company stated that this phenomenon of turbidity and an unusual taste is not directly related to pollution of the water source, residents’ fears that the water source has been contaminated by pig farms still persist. During a visit conducted by reporters yesterday, it was learned that the Xita Creek, which is alleged to be polluted, is located upstream of the Min River. At present, the water source is indeed polluted to varying degrees, with ammonia nitrogen levels often exceeding the permissible limits. The local water supply company stated that it has increased the intensity of purification processes to ensure a safe supply of drinking water for residents. Residents can’t stand the strange odor of the tap water and dare not use it even for bathing. Yesterday morning, many residents in Xicen Town, Nanping, called our newspaper’s hotline to report that since the evening of April 4th, the water coming from their taps has been not only very turbid but also had a pungent, strange odor. Ms. Chen, a resident, said that the water supply was cut off for a day on the 3rd, and it resumed on the evening of the 4th. She filled a basin with water to use for washing up, only to find a pile of yellow sediment at the bottom of the basin. When she smelled it, there was a pungent, strange odor. “I asked the neighbors, and it was the same situation for them as well. ”Ms. Chen said that the next day, no one dared to use tap water; some went to buy drinking water, while others pumped water from their own wells or fetched water from mountains. The same situation occurred at the Nanping campus of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. A student surnamed Hu told reporters that it’s not even worth mentioning drinking the water, as it’s too turbid and has a very unpleasant taste; people don’t even dare to use tap water for bathing. Instead, they go to the market to buy bottled drinking water to use. ” As of around 10 p.m. last night, at the time of reporting, the student told the reporter that the turbidity had decreased, but the smell remained very strong. There are several farms upstream of the water source. During interviews, many residents told reporters that Xicen Town relies on the Xita Creek as its only source of water, but there are numerous pig farms and other agricultural operations upstream, and they suspect that these farms have polluted the Xita Creek. At around 7 p.m. last night, the reporter went to Xita Creek in Xicen Town to conduct an on-site inspection. As soon as they entered the area of the creek, they detected a strong smell of feces. Although it was already dark, it was still possible to see from the bridge that the water was very turbid, with some indistinct objects floating on its surface. Outside the bridge, it reads that this is a first-class protected area for drinking water sources. Local residents told reporters that there are several farms upstream, “with a particularly large number of pig farms.” ”Officials from Nanping Water Supply and Drainage Company admitted that the residents’ concerns are valid; Xita Creek, being the only source of water in Xicen Town, has indeed been polluted, with ammonia nitrogen levels often exceeding the permissible limits. The pollution level improves during rainy days, and the ammonia nitrogen levels do not exceed the limits then, but most of the time the water remains polluted, with levels at times being 3 to 4 times higher than the allowed limit. ” The relevant official stated that excessive ammonia nitrogen levels are generally related to the aquaculture industry, and improper waste discharge is the main cause of pollution. It is understood that since November last year, Nanping authorities **have also launched efforts to improve the water environment in rural areas. Water supply company: The water outage may have caused chemical reactions in the deposits on the pipe walls. At around 8 p.m. yesterday, reporters visited the Xici Water Plant operated by Nanping Water Supply and Drainage Company. Officials there explained that after the water from the Xita Creek enters the treatment plant, it goes through four processing stages – reaction, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection – before being supplied to over 3,000 households. “After treatment by the water supply company, the tap water supplied to residents meets **the standards**: its turbidity is less than 1 NTU, and the ammonia nitrogen content is less than 0.5 mg/L. ” Officials told reporters that the water supply was suspended for one day on the 3rd because the Nanzhou Power Plant, located upstream of the celery water plant, was cleaning its sediment, which caused the water flowing into that section of the plant to be unusable; supply was restored only in the evening of the 4th. Officials believe that the reason for the turbid water quality is likely the aging of the residents’ water pipes, especially the old galvanized pipes. After a day without water supply, sediment accumulates on the inside walls of these pipes; when water flows again, it reacts with substances such as oxygen present in the water, resulting in the formation of substances like zinc hydroxide, which causes the water to become turbid. As for why there is an odd smell, the relevant personnel said it is likely the smell of chlorine. What is the actual pollution level of local water sources? How can we further ensure that treated tap water is safe to drink? As of the time of publication last night, relevant local departments such as those responsible for environmental protection had not issued any further statements. This article was compiled from the Internet by Jiezhiyuan, a manufacturer of water treatment agents (http://www.gyjzy.com). Published on the Chemical Engineering Forum; please cite the source when reproducing it!