City says change in treatment plants to blame for bad tasting water

If you live in the east end and you’ve noticed your water tastes a bit funky lately, you’re not alone.

CityNews received several recent calls from residents, primarily in the Beaches area, complaining that their water has suddenly taken on a less-than-appealing taste and odour described by some as stale, and somewhat metallic.

The City of Toronto’s Water Quality Lab says it received a complaint from a Beaches resident who noticed a “strange taste” as well.

So what’s going on?


The City of Toronto says residents in some areas have been receiving their drinking water from a different treatment plant, which could account for the discrepancy.

“Toronto Water’s R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant returned to service yesterday afternoon after an extended outage to conduct rehabilitation work,” a spokesperson told News in an email. “While the work was underway, residents were receiving their drinking water from another water treatment plant further away.

“This change in the source of water may have resulted in a slight taste/odour change to the water that may be noticed by people who are more sensitive to taste and odour.”

The city assures residents that despite the change in taste and smell, the water is perfectly safe.

“There are no regulatory issues with the safety of Toronto’s drinking water,” it said. “Toronto’s tap water is safe to drink and is continuously tested, monitored and analyzed to ensure it meets the strict standards of Toronto Public Health, the Province of Ontario and Government of Canada.”

“In addition, Toronto Water monitors all treatment and distribution processes 24/7 to ensure tap water continues to be safe in all conditions.”

But the city still wants to hear from you if have concens. So, if your water is funkier than James Brown, call 311.
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