Residents tell council tap water smells and is unsafe to drink; mayor says municipal supply is served by private utility

Several residents told the Terre Haute City Council during public comment that tap water in parts of the city has an off odor and is not safe to drink, and they asked the council to take action.

Gary Fowler, a resident who identified issues with water on Hynel Avenue and Pew Avenue and with a nearby landfill-like pit he said receives demolition material, told the council, “Our water ain't good.” He said the local pond near Canal and Davis is now shallow and that residents are worried about running out of useable water. Fowler urged the council to “step up and give us some help here” and said Councilperson Candace Hinton had been assisting residents in that area.

Carrie Draper, who said she lives in Phoenix Hills and receives water supplied from Brazil, told the council: “It smells bad a lot of the time. I don't feel like it's safe to drink. So we buy water to use…