BRADENTON, Fla. — A week later, residents in Bradenton continue to rely on bottled water after Hurricane Helene’s storm surge breached the city’s drinking water reservoir.
City officials have said the water is safe but continue to distribute emergency water for residents concerned with the water’s salty taste or bad smell.
“Our water tastes bad in an undefinable manner,” resident William Price said. “Hard to pin down what the taste is but it’s not good.”
Price was among those who stopped to get some water at the distribution site at the Bradenton City Auditorium.
Last Friday, the city issued a water advisory for all residents saying that storm surge had breached the impoundment dam of the Braden River pushing the brackish, salt water into Evers reservoir, the city’s drinking water source.
The water meets primary drinking water standards, but not secondary water standards because of levels of chloride being used to treat the water.
“It was mainly the taste that concerned us,” Price explained. “When we are trying to bathe with it, doesn’t really feel like we can get clean. I don’t know whether it’s the salt water or whatever they are using to treat it, but it just doesn’t taste that great.”
Heavy rain forecast this weekend as part of a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to help clear up the water.
Meanwhile, many residents continue to use bottled water to drink, cook or even brush their teeth.
Kirby Johnson tried to buy some water at a local Walmart today but found bare shelves.
“The VA has me on a salt restricted diet, so I have to be careful,” Johnson said. “That’s the only reason I am getting the water is because I can have hardly any salt.”
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