MECHANICVILLE — When Bill Connors and his son Michael turn on their faucet, they are overwhelmed by the stench of something musty and rotting.
“It smells like mold,” Bill Connors said, turning on his kitchen tap. “The kitchen and bathroom smell. My wife cleaned out the drains. That didn’t help. I was about to get a new hot water heater, thinking it was that, and then I saw that everyone else was complaining about the same thing.”Those complaints, as told to the Times Union and offered up at the last Mechanicville City Council meetings on Sept. 10, include a brown rim around pots used to boil water, skin irritation, foul smelling clean laundry and feeling dirty after taking a shower. The Connors live in Schaghticoke on the border of Mechanicville and are on the city’s water service.When reached, city Public Works Commissioner Patrick Sgambati said he attributes the smell to the water from the Mechanicville Reservoir “not turning over good” due to drought conditions.
He also said the city flushed the hydrants, which he said has helped. But many are still experiencing the stink…