Limestone County residents’ third day with dirty water
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) — For the third day in a row, some Limestone County residents say their tap water is cloudy, murky, or even brown and they’re not confident it’s safe to drink, despite assurances from the local water authority.
The issue started Monday morning, when dark-colored water began flowing from taps in homes connected to the Limestone County Water Authority. By Wednesday, some residents say the water has improved but still doesn’t look clear enough to trust.
“You can see how cloudy that is,” Michael Brown said as he showed the cloudy water Wednesday.
Brown said the water looks much better than it did Monday, but he still wouldn’t drink it.
According to Candace Powers with the Limestone County Water Authority, the problem began while crews were installing a new waterline Monday. When they tried to connect the new line to the existing pipe system, she says, the system essentially backfired, pulling dirt and other natural sediment through the lines.
That led to brown, murky, or cloudy water for many customers over the past three days.
The water authority says the water is safe to drink, but some residents, including Brown and neighbor Rachel Homolack, disagree.
“They say it’s calcium deposits and sediment and ‘it’s fine’ well you know the picture of my bathtub. I’d like the Limestone County water employees to come and take a bath in that then,” Homolack said.
Powers estimates nearly 16,000 customers were impacted by the issue, including her own household.
In response, the water authority handed out cases of drinking water Wednesday.
Still, some customers say they want more information and greater transparency about what happened and how it’s being fixed.
“I’m not going to drive 30 minutes to get a case of water. I can go to Costco and get a case of water and it’s one per household. We don’t even know how long this problem’s going to be,” Brown said.
Other customers who picked up their water said it’s just an inconvenience.
“I wouldn’t have drank it anyway, it’s just a little dark but it’s a lot better now. They’re nice enough to offer some drinking water. It’s very survivable, it’s just a little inconvenient,” resident Jack McCracken said as he picked up his free case of water Wednesday.
On Thursday, the authority will again distribute cases of water at the East Limestone Fire Department from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Powers said they will also issue a credit to everyone impacted for the inconvenience. She said that amount will be determined once they know how much water was used to clear out this problem.
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