Livermore water question

Has anyone noticed that the smell of Livermore water is beginning to smell like sour milk?

When I turn on the water to wash my hands or face it smells horrible. Our laundry is beginning to smell as well. And we use laundry detergent plus borax. Plus, most of our clothes are new. And no it is not a body odor issue either.

I was just wondering if anyone else is having this problem. We pay for the water and now it stinks. Literally!

Water is fine in Springtown.

I have not noticed and smell with my water. We live around Isabel. I drink it right out of the tap at least twice a day. Maybe there is a problem with your pipes. I know a local restaurant and they serves customers tap water as well.

Our water in S Livermore is fine too. I'd call the water company and have your water tested.

how old are your pipes and what kinda pipes are in home?

All the pipes are copper and fairly new ( a few years old). Also, it is smelly when it is cold so it is not the water heater. Water guy said the water in my neighborhood is "aggressive" Still cannot figure out what is going on. Maybe the smell will go away now that the water company has showed up. You know how Murphy's Law is.

Thank you all for your comments and advise. Much appreciated.

Kathy wrote:

Water is fine in Springtown.

I am sorry but the water is not fine in Springtown. About 4 weeks ago they changed the water like they do every year. When you take a shower you can feel it. It feels like the water has silicone in it. Last year when it happened I called and they said that I was correct and that I was the only one that called.

Silicone? Seriously? that is disgusting. Did they explain why they did that?

I've noticed a bad smell to the water occasionally. A sour smell, yes. It could be something like a sulfur compound, although that is generally more of a rotten egg smell. One thing I have noticed is that it makes hand towels reek after getting damp just a couple of times, such as little towels used for drying your hands.

Which part of Livermore are you in,(the OP)?

Thank you Anon. We were told by the water company that we have "aggressive water" and the very next day a group of men were working on the water lines. Yet when we asked them if it had something to do with our smelly water they told us no. The horrible stench went away for a few weeks and now it is beginning to come back.

I am sorry you have water issues but I am glad it is not just in my head.

When we called the water company they told us we were the only ones who had complained and thy need more people to come forward in order to do something.

Aggressive water means it is too acidic. The problem there is that it can leach heavy metals out of your plumbing (even from copper). And that could cause the smell you reported. If you notice it again, grab a sample and get it tested to find out whats in your water at that point in time. Do you have metal pipes in your house? Iron pipes were often soldered with lead, so in older homes you have to be on the lookout for it. Even if you have new pipes but a really old meter head, you could have iron in there.

A batch of men came and dug up our street and a few blocks away and now the smell is gone. So I know it isn't our pipes. Our pipes are copper and 2 years old. I am just glad the smell is gone and my hand towels don't smell like ass anymore. But we do have a test kit here that the water company left so if the smell comes back I will have it tested. Thanks for all the great info Anon.

The water is hard in livermore. Its not good water, but if you've become used to it, I guess it doesn't matter.

Hard water? We do not have that problem. I wash my cars, no hard water issues. The only issue - no flouride in the water for my kiddo... well that and the fact that my water bill is well over 100 bucks a month mow.:o)

A lot of people are allergic to fluoride. That is why they do not put it in the water. At least that is what the water guy told me. I am surprised you do not have hard water issues. Our water is really hard and disgusting. Do you have a water softener?

No water softener.

The "water guy" is an idiot and has no idea what he is talking about. Livermore is zone 7 water and the only in the tri-valley without flouride.

Fact - The largest, government-funded, clinical trial found that 1% of people ingesting 1 mg fluoride tablets exhibited allergic/hypersensitive reactions to it.

Person w/smelly water,

Do your neighbors have smelly water?

Our water, by East Ave, tastes fine (for delta water) to me. It is hard. The calcium cakes on our neighbors pool cover and flakes off when we take the pool cover off. We also get buildup on various fixtures because we don't clean often enough.

Livermore water does smell and taste bad. I live in North Livermore and it's been bad ever since I moved here. Don't feel bad though, I've heard that Pleasanton water is even worse.

I hate how it comes and goes. Sometimes it is fine and other times it is absolutely horrible. Thank you North Livermore Citizen for letting me know it isn't just me.

I live in Springtown and our water doesn’t smell. The problem I have with the water is that I am allergic to it.
I didn’t notice for a long time but I know I know for sure that my cough was caused by the Livermore water. I had this cough for about 1 year and it got worse and worse. I always drunk more tap water since I thought drinking helps to cough up the slime etc.. But when I drank it the cough became worse. I thought I was allergic to pollen or some food. I also prepared my nose rinse with Livermore water and saline solution. After the nose flush my nose burned and tickled but I thought it was normal. Then I did some research on what causes cough and I found a post of a person who was allergic to tap water. I then prepared my nose flush with bottled water and the difference was significant. My nose didn’t burn or itch and the nose flush was even very comfortable compared to all the daily nose flushes I did for a year. I then stopped drinking Livermore tap water and my cough went away. I am so happy that I found out that all I have to do is to avoid the tap water. Long live overpriced bottled water!!