Residents of Yaroslavl Complain of Smelly Water from Taps

In late January, residents of Yaroslavl began complaining en masse about an unpleasant smell from hot water flowing from taps.

On social media, for example in the group «Overheard in Yaroslavl», a resident of the Dzerzhinsky district wrote: «The smell is unbearable, it is impossible to use hot water.» According to residents, the problem is observed in almost all districts, and the water has a technical or metallic smell. «It»s scary to wash. Afterwards, the body peels and the skin itches,« people report on social networks.

The supplier of heat and hot water for most homes, PJSC TGC-2, provided an explanation. The company indicated that due to the cold snap, the temperature of the coolant increases, and water from the thermal power plant arrives at homes hotter. «For example, at –20°C (–4°F) outside, the temperature in the supply pipeline from the thermal power plant exceeds 100°C (212°F),» noted TGC-2. This mode is regulated by a temperature schedule approved by the city mayor«s office.

The temperature of hot water in the system should be maintained by an automatic regulator installed in the residential building. If the equipment is faulty or absent, the water can be excessively hot. For safety reasons, management organizations sometimes switch the hot water supply to the return pipeline, after the heating system. In this case, the water first passes through the heating circuits, cools down, and only then is supplied to the taps. However, this can cause an odor if the internal networks have not been disinfected.

TGC-2 recommends that residents who have encountered poor-quality service contact their management company. «The housing organization initiates a commission examination in the presence of a representative of the resource-supplying organization, the management company, and the owner of the residential premises. After the inspection, a report on the causes of the poor-quality service is drawn up,» the company explained.

The authorities also gave recommendations. For example, the administrations of the Kirovsky and Leninsky districts, in response to complaints on social networks, advised contacting the Inspectorate of Administrative-Technical and State Housing Supervision of the Yaroslavl Region if the management company does not take measures.

For an independent check of water quality, residents can submit an application to the Office of Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) for the Yaroslavl Region. This can be done in the following ways:

• through the «citizens» appeals reception« service on the Rospotrebnadzor website with authorization via Gosuslugi (the state services portal);
• by writing to the department»s social networks;
• by personally visiting the Office at: Yaroslavl, Voinova Street, building 1, with a written appeal and an identity document.