The Real Reason California's Tap Water Might Taste Like Dirt

Those who live in California have something interesting to report: Tap water has not been tasting normal these days, per several accounts. As reported by Food & Wine, this taste can be best described as... umm... "earthy." Officials have already tried to reassure residents that there's nothing sinister going on and that it's perfectly OK to continue drinking tap water as usual.

According to CNN, this latest development can be attributed to climate change: California's water bodies are depleting. Sacramento's drinking water now has increased levels of an organic compound called geosmin, something that is responsible for soil smelling the way it does. Of course, it's fair to say that locals are alarmed by the different taste and have already raised the issue with city officials. Carlos Eliason, Sacramento's utilities spokesperson, said, "The earthy taste that some of our customers are experiencing is harmless and can be neutralized by adding some lemon or putting it in the refrigerator."

But should residents be worried about this "unpleasant" situation?

The bottom line is fairly simple: It's not weird if you find that tap water in Sacramento is not tasting the way it usually does and this poses no health hazard to citizens. Oer CNN, it's tricky to predict what to expect in the near future as geosmin levels may remain erratic. Officials are currently trying to find ways to adapt to the situation. As Eliason said, "We're evaluating different treatment technologies to adapt to some of these (dry) conditions." He added, "Our goal is always to provide high quality, good-tasting drinking water and we want to do that as much as possible."

Meanwhile, Redditors can't help but be amused by the current state of affairs, especially the fact that the public is being advised to add lemon to water. One of the most popular comments on the thread reads, "When life gives you dirt, make lemonade." Sounds about right!