"Nobody's water smells anything like ours," said Raines, a Truesdale alderman who also is employed as a truck driver. "Not even in the ballpark." The city, however, is taking steps to resolve the problem. At last week's aldermen meeting, Raines and other city officials decided to request an emergency flushout of its older water tower located on Spoede Road. Aldermen voted 3-0 to approve the measure with one alderman, Adriane Null, absent. Complaints about the strong smell have been fielded since October when the city began chlorinating its water after samples did not meet Department of Natural Resources regulations. Cary Sayre, a staff engineer from Columbia-based Allstate Consultants, recommended the flushout to aldermen after reviewing the city's system earlier in the day. He pointed out he found no issues with the way the city operates the chlorinating system. During a lengthy discussion, he also said some type of algae or bacteria could be growing in the tank or water lines and contributing to the chlorine problem. "If there is something in the tank, it would be real easy to have it washed out and cleaned," Sayre said. Raines' assessment is one that is felt by many in town. He noted that several families have resorted to buying distilled water rather than using water from the tap. "When you go to bed, you smell chlorine," Raines said. "When you get up, you smell chlorine. It's not intolerable, but all the people on my end are complaining, they can't just drink it." Alderman Donald McGee said the chlorine taste fluctuates daily. "It just comes and go," he explained. "A lot of times it's so strong you can't hardly stand it. You wouldn't want to smell it and drink the water." Gilbert Nordwald, the city's public works director, said he would contact Utility Services, the company that would be performing the flushout, immediately. He said it most likely will occur within the next month, but will depend on the weather. The emergency flushout is a free service to the city through its maintenance agreement with Utility Services. If the flushout doesn't solve the excess chlorine taste, Sayre said the problem could be due to pockets of stagnant water or even the possibility of not enough water being used in town. "It's a situation where you start eliminating the potential problems," he said. Nordwald said the city pumps about a million gallons a month -ðor 30,000-35,000 gallons daily - and he keeps the tanks about half full. The city's two towers combine to hold 250,000 gallons, but only one tower is in service at a time.