Cañon City Residents Swear Off Tap Water as Geosmin Algae Causes Earthy Stench

The air inside Cañon City’s council chambers hung thick, not just with the heat of a late August afternoon, but with the collective frustration of neighbors who had stopped trusting what came out of their taps. More than 100 people stood shoulder-to-shoulder, a standing-room-only crowd waiting for their turn at the microphone. One woman described her home as smelling like a swamp when she showered. Another noted her dog refused to drink from the bowl. A local business owner worried about customers sending drinks back because of that distinct, earthy funk.

It started on July 30 with a single complaint. By the following weekend, six more had arrived. Then came the social media flood.

The culprit is geosmin, a naturally occurring compound associated with algae growth. It’s the same compound that gives beets their earthy taste, and it’s responsible for that smell of damp soil after a rain. But when it’s pouring from your showerhead or melting into your cocktail, it feels less like nature and more like a nuisance.

City officials and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have been clear: there is no known health risk from the low levels of geosmin detected. Humans can detect it at minuscule levels, though. We just don’t like it.

The trouble began in the city’s storage reservoir. Water superintendent Travis Payne explained that drought conditions have forced the city to protect its supply by not refreshing it as often as usual. That stagnation allowed algae to take hold.

Cañon City pulls all its water from the Arkansas River into this single storage reservoir, which then feeds the treatment plant. The city also holds up to 1,000 acre-feet in Pueblo Reservoir as a buffer. That store currently measures 877 acre-feet, dwindling through evaporation in the hot summer sun. One acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons. Payne noted the city uses between 4 million and 5 million gallons per day to serve its 9,000 customers.

The city proceeded cautiously when increasing chlorine dioxide to treat the algae and pulling in fresh water from the river. They didn’t want to solve one problem by creating another for those 9,000 households.

Coincidentally, the Colorado Department of Corrections’ Territorial Facility and the East Cañon Complex began selling bottled water in their commissaries on June 29. A spokesperson said the change was unrelated to the geosmin issue, driven by other operational needs. Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted assurances on the safety of the water for staff, inmates, and visitors.

The special council meeting was dedicated entirely to this funky taste and odor that has been giving locals pause. Feinsinger reported from the scene, noting how the community’s anxiety was palpable. People aren’t just complaining about taste; they’re questioning the reliability of their infrastructure during a drought that shows no signs of breaking.

Stand there long enough, and you can see the concern etched into faces that rely on this water every single day. It’s not just about a bad smell. It’s about trust in the system that keeps the Western Slope running, one glass at a time.