Authorities Explain Foul-Smelling Tap Water in Yaroslavl After Quality Decline

In Yaroslavl, at an open meeting with the mayor on February 3, complaints from local residents about foul-smelling water were discussed. Deputy Mayor Nikolai Stepanov emphasized that recently there have been increasing reports due to the unpleasant odor from the water.

«Indeed, the number of complaints about hot water quality has increased. First and foremost, this is related to the smell of hot water. The situation is quite objective. There have been appeals to Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing). At many addresses, representatives of Rospotrebnadzor went out and took samples. Of the last 11 houses visited by Rospotrebnadzor, a decline in quality regarding the smell of hot water was recorded only in two,» clarified the deputy mayor.

According to Nikolai Stepanov, the problem arose against the backdrop of frosts.

«In very severe frosts, the temperature of the supplied water from the thermal power plant exceeds 80 degrees Celsius (176°F). If it were to enter the hot water supply, residents could get burns. Therefore, management companies and homeowners associations switch to the return water pipeline or there is mixing by a temperature regulator from the return water conduit. Naturally, on the return pipeline, the water quality is lower than on the direct one. Therefore, such instances occur during periods of severe frosts,» explained Deputy Mayor Nikolai Stepanov.

Mayor Artem Molchanov added at the end of the discussion that the situation is not of an emergency nature and is not related to accident situations.

«There are certain difficulties, but attention must be paid to the interaction of heat supply organizations and management companies. If there are any exceedances, they must be responded to,» noted the city head.

Recall that back in January, residents of various districts of Yaroslavl complained about the unpleasant smell of water. In PJSC TGC-2 (Territorial Generating Company No. 2), which is the supplier of heat and hot water to most houses in Yaroslavl, they explained: the water can smell due to the switching of hot water supply to the return pipeline. In this case, the water first passes through the house«s heating system and then enters the taps, which can cause an odor since the internal networks have not been disinfected.

To check the water quality, residents can submit an application to the Rospotrebnadzor office for Yaroslavl Region. This can be done in one of the following ways:

through the «Citizen Appeals Reception» service on the Rospotrebnadzor website (authorization via «Gosuslugi» is required);

by writing to social media;

in person at the Rospotrebnadzor Office for Yaroslavl Region (Yaroslavl, Voinova Street, Building 1, with a written appeal and an identity document).