SALADO, Texas — Some residents in Salado are still dealing with smelly and discolored water coming from their faucets, even though the Salado Water Supply Corporation says the water is safe.
People living on the west side of town, such as Timothy Hamilton, say their water looks yellow and smells bad, causing some people to avoid using it altogether.
"Right now, we don't use refrigerator water or the sink water," Hamilton said. "We have bottled water now."
Salado ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Novotny says this has been an on-and-off problem. Novotny says water appears cloudy at first but will clear up after that.
Many residents have been left wondering what is going on, but the Salado Water Supply Corporation says the discoloration is due to Stillhouse Hollow Lake overflowing due to heavy rainfall, washing different materials, primarily manganese, into the lake.
"The lake level came up 26 feet in less than a week," Salado Water Supply Corporation General Manager John Preston told 6 News. "All the materials washed off of the land as it overflowed and it flooded the lake, it created the disturbance in the lake."
Preston said it is not the Corporation that treats the water. They actually purchase pre-treated water from a treatment plant, then put it in the distribution lines for customers. He says once the lake settles down and temperatures cool, the water will clear up.
"The only tool that we have when people call to try to help and make the situation better right now is to go out and immediately flush those areas and replace that water with a newer version of water to get rid of the old water," Preston said. "It'll help clear up some of the color, but the color will not clear up until that lake settles down and the temperature cools off. When the lake water starts to get more clear, then the product will be a clearer product coming to us from the treatment plants."
In the meantime, Preston says the water is, and has been, safe to drink.
"You have some smell, you have some color, but the safety of the water is absolutely potable and safe to drink," Preston told 6 News.
Preston said the Corporation maintains a disinfectant residual and takes pouring samples at 11 different sites every day to make sure disinfectant levels stay above the regulated number.
Preston asks residents to remain patient, saying the people treating the water have never dealt with this level of water coming into the treatment plant, and it will just take time to fix the issue.
Some residents are still not taking chances, however, buying bottled water or even bags of ice instead of using the discolored tap water.
"Water your grass, yes, wash your car, yes, drinking… no," Hamilton said.
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