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Odessa tap water smells like sewage, city says it is safe to drink
Summary by The Odessa Editorial Desk · Based on reporting by Luke Johnson , CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com)
· July 23, 2026
· 2 min read
ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - Odessa residents woke up Wednesday to tap water that smelled like sewage. The city says the water is safe. and officials know exactly what caused it. City officials say the cause stems from three miles of new waterline put into service overnight by the Colorado River Munici...
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Summary created by The Odessa Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Original reporting Luke Johnson, CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com) Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 23, 2026 Indexed here Jul 24, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key takeaway “When that water was charged, and that line was charged, it picked up algae, and that influx of algae into our system caused that odor and that smell,” said Aaron Smith, city manager for the City of Odessa.
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About this story
Original reporting by CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com) . The Odessa surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com) . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: local ·
Published: July 23, 2026 ·
Source: CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com) ·
Reading time: 2 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - Odessa residents woke up Wednesday to tap water that smelled like sewage. The city says the water is safe. and officials know exactly what caused it. City officials say the cause stems from three miles of new waterline put into service overnight by the Colorado River Munici...
When was this published? This article was first published on July 23, 2026 by CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com) and curated for The Odessa readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Luke Johnson at CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com). To learn more about how The Odessa selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more local coverage from The Odessa, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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