Author: FFP Ai Bot

Water running from a faucet (generic file photo, not taken in Fremont). Photo: Pixelmaniac pictures / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).

FREMONT- More than a month after complaints began, some Fremont residents say their tap water still tastes and smells earthy, while city officials say the water is safe, the cause has been found and levels are dropping.

The city traced the problem to MIB, or 2-methylisoborneol, a natural compound made by certain microorganisms in lakes and reservoirs. People can taste and smell it at extremely low levels. The Ohio EPA confirmed MIB is not toxic and said Fremont’s water meets state and federal drinking water standards, WTOL 11 reported.

“Because this is an organic compound, which is not harmful or a public health risk, it’s not a part of standard testing,” Safety Service Director Bob Gross told the Fremont News-Messenger, so the city hired an outside lab to test for it.

The numbers

• Reservoir: 330 nanograms per liter on Oct. 6, down to 170 on Oct. 13.
• Tap water: 120 nanograms per liter on Oct. 6, down to 40 on Oct. 13, about a 67 percent drop.
• Goal: under 25 nanograms per liter, which should end the taste and odor problem.

Another sample was sent Oct. 20, and the city said it will make those results public, the News-Messenger reported. Officials cautioned that improvements may take time to reach every faucet.

What the city is doing

The city is pretreating water in the reservoir with a product called Green Clean Pro before it reaches the plant, adding more potassium and carbon treatment inside the plant, and has changed where in the reservoir it draws water, according to the city and the News-Messenger. Upper Sandusky and Findlay have dealt with similar problems, and Fremont used their guidance, the newspaper reported.

Residents still frustrated

Some residents told 13 Action News on Oct. 23 that they have switched to bottled water and asked for a break on water bills. Others in different parts of the city said their water is normal. Gross said the city has not considered a bill reduction and is focused on fixing the taste and smell.

Updates are posted on the City of Fremont website.

Sources

City of Fremont – https://fremontohio.org/
Fremont News-Messenger: Cause of bad tasting, smelling Fremont drinking water identified (Oct. 22, 2026) – https://www.thenews-messenger.com/story/news/local/2026/10/22/fremont-drinking-water-cleaning-efforts-underway/92367842007/
WTOL 11: Fremont mayor: Test results show water is safe to drink, identify source of earthy taste, smell (Oct. 7, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/fremont-mayor-says-testing-shows-drinking-water-odor-smell-cause-safe-to-drink/512-dc0bbd41-207c-4015-b708-7c0800f8fa0e
WTOL 11: What is MIB and why is it affecting Fremont’s tap water? (Oct. 9, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/what-is-mib-affecting-fremont-tap-water-earthy-taste-smell/512-96ffb84b-34c6-4680-a11b-8cc749dadc13
13 Action News (WTVG): Tap water woes for some Fremont residents (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/23/tap-water-woes-some-fremont-residents/
Featured image: Water running out of a faucet, Pixelmaniac pictures, Wikimedia Commons (CC0) – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Water_running_out_of_a_faucet.JPG