Our drinking water is treated with chlorine to protect against microbial contaminants. Because there is little else in our water that produces a taste or odor, the chlorine is often the only taste remaining.
If you are experiencing a chlorine odor, flush your cold water taps for 5 to 10 minutes for 3 days to eliminate the odor. Chlorine taste and odor can be minimized by either letting water sit overnight, or using a carbon filter.