‘Swamp water' taste leads to complaints

Goshen-Some Village of Goshen residents have noticed that their drinking water has a swampy taste, like rotted leaves and muck. That's because the reservoir that feeds Goshen's taps is undergoing a natural phenomenon known as "spring turnover." (There's a fall turnover, too.) During winter, the coldest water floats to the top, like ice cubes in a glass. Turnover happens when the water on top of a lake or reservoir warms (or cools) to 39 degrees Fahrenheit, when water is at its densest. The dense water then sinks, displacing the water at the bottom. The whole reservoir does a flip, churning everything up. The organic muck on the bottom gets mixed into the water. Dr. Kevin Corr, Village of Goshen water commissioner, assured the public Monday night that the swamp water taste, while obnoxious, is completely harmless. Trustee Lynn Cione told The Chronicle that all water channeled from the reservoir to local plumbing systems runs through the village's filtration plant, and is "tested constantly" by experienced technicians at the site. She said most people who have lived in the village for a while know that spring brings bad tastes into the tap. "It's part of living in Goshen," she said. She assures those encountering this phenomenon for the first time that the problem generally disappears in a week or two. Some years, the problem is worse than in other years, if there is either too much rain or too little. There is no need to boil the water, she said. Cione said the problem should disappear when the village switches to its new Crystal Run well as its primary water source, perhaps as early as this summer. In the meantime, the village will test any resident's water, free of charge, upon demand. For more information or to request a water test, call the Department of Public Works at 294-6288. [Editor's note: Thanks to TEAM Environmental Consultants in Middletown for explaining the spring turnover phenomenon.]