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.
WFTS 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.”