For almost two weeks, some residents in the town of Welsh have experienced discolored water coming from their faucets. They have lots of questions but no one is giving them answers.
Drinking water is vital to our health, especially during these summer days where we’re seeing extreme temperatures. Even in the heat, some Welsh residents are afraid to use their water because of discoloration.
“My baby cries every morning and every night. Do I have to take a bath here mama? Yes you do. I’m not going to send him elsewhere to take a bath” says Welsh Resident, Jacquettel Hampton
Hampton says for more than a week she’s had to live with yellow water.
Not only does she now have to buy additional water to cook with… “I purchased brand new bathroom equipment and it’s all discolored and I cannot remove the stains,” she says.
Hampton says many of her neighbors are elderly, and someone has to speak up for them. She says she tried to get in touch with city officials but has not had any luck. So, she Dialed Dalfred to find out why, and what’s being done to solve the problem.
Town of Welsh Mayor Carolyn Louviere says, “We have a large ground storage tank that we had to drain for inspection. This is something that’s done every so many years.”
The town’s water manager, Chris Lebouef follows with, “and when we did that, it kind of upset our system a little bit.” We asked Chris, now that people know that the system has to be flushed out for health reasons, when they see the yellowish, pink and even sometimes brown tint to the water, does that mean it’s unsafe to drink?
“Yeah, it is safe to drink. There’s not a bacteria issue with that.”
It is safe to drink, just not a pleasure to look at. But, of course no one wants to use discolored water. Which is why city workers spent most of the morning flushing out the pipes, and residents saw results later Tuesday afternoon.
“That’s what it’s all about, safe drinking water for everybody.”
The mayor says communication is key. So, if you need problem addressed, call city hall. They’ve also created a Facebook page to keep their residents updated.
