No Timeline Known When Fishy Odor In Austin Water Might Dissipate

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Utility officials said Friday they are not able to provide a timeline as to when the fishy odor of some tap water largely drawn from taps in the central and south portions of the city will dissipate.

Invasive zebra mussels are being blamed for the odor first detected on Thursday. Specifically, an intake valve drawing from Lake Austin reportedly was found to be infested with zebra mussels, leading to the disbursal of fishy-smelling water to many residents' faucets.

Despite the lack of a timeline toward resolution of the issue, Austin Water officials assured the affected tap water is safe to drink and meets all regulatory health standards. Utility officials also outlined steps being taken to rid affected water of the offensive odor.

Related story: Still Have Fishy-Tasting Water? Call 3-1-1, Austin Water Says

"Water provided by Austin Water meets all regulatory standards and is safe to drink," officials said in an update via Twitter. "Some customers in central and south Austin are still experiencing odor issues in their water. Austin Water is continuing to feed powdered activated carbon to mitigate the odor and taste issue."

Those efforts are expected to mitigate the issue albeit gradually, officials suggested: "Crews are flushing water lines in affected areas until the issue is resolved. As water continues to move through the distribution system, we expect conditions to improve."

Although not definitively, Austin Water officials attribute the cause of the odor to invasive zebra mussels. These are small, destructive and invasive species that sometimes are spread across Texas by essentially hitching rides on boats and trailers. Reaching a maximum length of about 1 1/2 inches, these critters derive their name from a distinctive, zebra-striped shell.

According to the site TexasInvasives.org, zebra mussels potentially can cause "... tremendous environment and economic damage — by hurting aquatic life, damaging boats, hindering water recreation and even threatening your water supply."

And they're prolific too, with a single zebra mussel able to produce up to one million microscopic larvae. According to the site, several state lakes are already categorized as being "infested" with the species, including Austin; Belton; Bridgeport; Canyon; Dean Gilbert (a 45-acre community fishing lake in Sherman); Eagle Mountain; Georgetown; Lady Bird; Lewisville; Livingston; Randell (local Denison access only); Ray Roberts; Stillhouse Hollow; Texoma; and Travis.

Classified as "positive" for the presence of zebra mussels are: Lakes Fishing Hole; Grapevine; Lavon; Richland Chambers; Waco; and Worth. Zebra mussel presence also reaches downstream on the Colorado, Guadalupe, Lampasas, Leon, Little, Red, and Trinity Rivers, according to the website.

Zebra mussels are less pervasive at lakes Fork and Ray Hubbard, classified as "suspect."

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services offers a primer on zebra mussels and how boaters can help curb their spread. Check it out here.

While Austin Water works to mitigate the problem, the Austin Community College extended its considerable resources on zebra mussel research to the utility. The ACC-housed Bioscience Incubator is the leading lab for Austin-area research on zebra mussels, school officials said in a press advisory. School officials on Friday invited members of the media to visit the lab and visit with John Higley of EQQ, a first-of-its kind zebra mussel detection and prevention company.

EQO is a platform that analyzes the population dynamics of active zebra mussel populations, school officials explained, including quantity, live vs. dead, response to stress, spawning cycles and other dynamics. "With this information, EQO is able to determine how many zebra mussels are present and how they are reacting to treatment," ACC officials said, adding the company will provide the City of Austin with analytics and monitoring of the zebra mussel population.

This is the second time in less than four months that the city's water supply has been compromised. Following historic flooding in the Austin area late last year, the city was forced to issue a boil water notice after the accumulation of storm-induced sediment and debris. While residents later learned the quality of the water was never compromised from a health standpoint, officials explained the call to curb tap use by relying on bottled water was largely designed to mitigate water flow at treatment plants to accommodate cleanup.

The latest incident involving Austin tap water has unleashed a torrent of commentary from many residents, with gripes ranging from a perceived lack of information to those dealing with the situation through dark humor.

"The lack of communication from the city regarding the foul water issue is unacceptable," one Twitter user wrote. "Updates need to be provided, even if no new information is known. Respect your residents. We love this city but won’t condone incompetence."

"Hey, City of Austin Water Department," wrote former Austin ISD trustee Paul Saldaña. "I’m all for flavored water, but zebra mussel is not one of them. I’m sticking to my agua mineral from México, Topo Chico."

Another resident took the theme further, including an image of a can of fictitious "zebra mussels essenced sparkling water" to drive home his point:

Another Twitter user used humor as a defense mechanism as well:

But others found no humor in the situation. Chimed in another resident: "If my shower water could not smell like Galveston Bay, that would be great..."

Another was more succinct:

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