People in the city of Sweeny are still upset and frustrated about water problems. The issue was on the agenda at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
“I have to replace my water heater every four years at least, because of the water. I have to replace a tub. I have to replace faucets because of the water,” said Stacey Winscott.
Fed up with the dirty water, Winscott took her concerns right to Sweeny City Council Tuesday night.
“We have orange water every day,” she said during public comment at the meeting.
City council members are aware of the problems.
According to a memo posted on the city’s website, the discoloration is caused by elevated levels of manganese, and because of recent directives from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requiring Sweeny to move away from treating the water with polyphosphate.
Polyphosphates helped keep the metallic elements from the city’s well water at bay.
While the watercolor is noticeable, officials say it is not harmful, and they are working on a solution.
The short-term plan is to replace two of the city’s malfunctioning water filters which haven’t been checked since 1996. Council members learned that the filters are contributing to the water problem. They plan to add a third filter to help.
“[What] I’ve gained from tonight is that they’ve known that they’ve had a problem for a long time and have done nothing with it until y’all [KPRC] got involved,” said Winscott.
The brown water issues are not being solved fast enough for residents like Winscott.
“It’s not right. We pay for our water [and] we can’t cook with it, we can’t drink it. It’s time for them to fix it,” she said.
On Tuesday night, the City Council approved the funding to replace the filters.
They are still working to figure out a repair schedule for the water system. People are encouraged to continue reporting water issues to the city.