BEAUMONT, Texas — Brown water in Beaumont is a battle that's been brewing for more than two years.
The City of Beaumont hired a consulting firm to test the water. Now, city leaders are releasing the firm's findings.
“We filter our water from the tap, as soon as I’m pouring it into our pitcher. Sometimes or several times it's been this kind of mucky brownish color,” Beaumont resident Scott Sharaga said.
While Sharaga said it looks gross, city leaders insist it's safe to drink.
“Anybody that is experiencing discolored water, it's unsettling to them,” said Beaumont City Councilman Mike Getz. “I want people to know that although discolored water is unattractive to look at. It is safe and in fact the TCEQ the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality rates Beaumont as superior.”
The City of Beaumont got an independent company to test the water named Corona Environmental Consulting.
The company found the water is not hazardous, and say the discoloration is caused by the presence of minerals like iron and manganese
“Basically, what you need to do if you are experiencing discolored water, is you need to run your cold water. I said cold water for a few minutes to see if that clears it up,” Getz said.
A new city map is tracking the complaints that have been made within the last 30 days.
You can see most are coming from the city's west end. But for some, when the water is brown, they say don't plan to drink it.
“That's why we have a lot of water bottles that we stock up on,” Sharaga said. “I like to save those for hurricane or my hurricane kit. but if the waters brown I'm going to have to break into those because I have to get water for me, my wife, and my animals.”
The city plans to treat the water with chlorine dioxide and implement a flushing plan.
If you find brown water coming out of your faucet, you call 311 to make a complaint.