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St. Helena residents seeing brown tap water
Residents in St. Helena say brown tap water coming from their faucets has been a problem off and on for years.
ST. HELENA, Calif. - Residents in St. Helena are frustrated with the brown tap water coming from their faucets, a problem that has persisted intermittently for years.
Recently, the problem has resurfaced with a lingering odor, and residents received a notice about bacteria levels and the city's violation of chlorine standards.
"It smells like dirt," said Virginia Freeland, a St. Helena resident. "I moved here about 10 years ago, in 2015, and off and on we've had brown water...You look in the toilet, and it's like someone hadn't flushed because it's so brown."
Freeland is not alone. On her neighborhood messaging app, she says there's a constant flow of comments about the water quality.
"The water is brown. I wash my white sheets and they come out brown," said Rachael Clark, another St. Helena resident who said the water issue has been frustrating.
Joe Leach, St. Helena's Assistant City Manager and Director of Public Works, says iron and magnesium in the water supply have been a problem.
"We have three sources of water. One is the lake, one is groundwater, and one is the City of Napa, and so seasonally we see things change," Leach said.
Residents received a notice informing them that bacteria levels in the water are low enough not to require boiling. However, the smell and brown water have raised concerns among many.
St. Helena is currently undertaking a $17-million project to address the issue.
"We're also realizing there are decades of buildup of sediment in the pipes, so we're having a process to address that as well," Leach added.
Some residents have noticed improvements.
"After they flushed out all the lines, then the water was all clear and working fine," said one resident named Ramona.
Despite efforts to resolve the problem, some residents remain frustrated, especially as the city has increased water rates by 8%.
"Over $150 a month and now its at over $300 a month," Freeland said.
The city plans to present information about the water situation and the ongoing infrastructure project at the next City Council meeting on October 14.