Buffalo Island residents question their safety following dirty water - KAIT

Buffalo Island residents question their safety following dirty water

MANILA, Ark. (KAIT) - Some residents said they have experienced dirty water for six months.

People are frustrated, disgusted, and looking for answers when it comes to the safety of their water.

Some are complaining about brown, foggy, unclear water coming from faucets in the home. The local water provider Buffalo Island Regional Water has over 1,100 customers ranging from Craighead, Mississippi, and Poinsett counties. The company claims the water is safe for all residents.

Manilla resident William Davis said it’s been 181 days since he’s had clear water.

“I know when I was filling up my pool on June 30, and it’s not gotten any better,” Davis said.

Another resident expressed her frustrations on Facebook. Alyssa Burks of Manilla said she has spent hundreds of dollars on bottled water for cooking, drinking, and bathing purposes.

“I’m telling you I don’t even feed my dog this water,” she said. “That’s how disgusting it is.”

Burks said she can’t even bathe her kids in her own home.

“I haven’t been able to do laundry, it has ruined my toilets, it stained my bathtub,” Burks said. “It cannot be safe to drink.”

Office Manager with Buffalo Island Regional Water Heather Blocker said the last time the state tested the water was Friday, Dec. 15. Blocker said every customer was sent a letter on Thursday, Dec. 28.

“It has been tested by the Arkansas Department of Health that it’s safe to drink, cook with, and bathe,” Blocker said. “There ain’t gonna be no change; I mean letters are going out today to explain all that.”

However, Burks disagrees. She said her water conditions have been “awful.”

“I don’t care how many times they tell us it is,” she said. “It can’t be.”

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