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Residents press city about water taste and odor; council and staff cite utility assurances
Summary
Residents raised persistent taste and odor complaints about city water; a resident group says it has tested chlorine at 6 ppm and formed a Pontiac Water Quality Commission. City staff said Illinois American Water reports water is meeting EPA standards and that the city does not own the system.
Multiple residents raised concerns about water taste and odor during public comment. Resident Matthew Pesta — who identified himself as a former Navy hazmat auditor and said he leads a new Pontiac Water Quality Commission on Facebook — said he and other long‑time residents have observed recurring odor/taste episodes and asserted his own testing recorded chlorine at 6 parts per million, exceeding the federal 4‑ppm reference he cited. Pesta said he had contacted Illinois EPA and the utility and planned to continue tracking samples and sources.
City staff (Jim) responded that he has received similar reports and discussed possible causes: seasonal low river levels and reservoir conditions can change raw water quality, and the carbon filtration and treatment process can take days to fully clear taste/odor issues as water moves through the system. Jim said Illinois American Water represented to him that water quality is safe and that the IEPA shows no enforcement actions against the utility on file. The mayor and staff emphasized the city does not own the water utility and urged residents to report concerns to the utility and the state agency; residents said they would continue to organize and collect samples for follow-up.
The council did not take formal action on water service at the meeting but agreed staff would monitor complaints and bring information back if needed.
