We are spoiled here in Sheridan with quality water. We had good quality water when the city was running its own water system, and now, when it is on the rural water system. That is not always the case, however. The dirty water systems that have been in the news these past few years are hardly unique to Flint.
Based on comments we have seen, it seems this has been a problem for the last three years. Tempers are at a boiling point as the city has been trying and failing to solve these issues. We don’t claim to be perfect, but if we had that kind of rampant complaints from customers over a three year span, we would be out of business.
Herewith, some of the comments from dissatisfied customers. Some of these people are folks we know and trust, and they are among the last we know who would raise hell.
“This water problem has to be fixed!!”
“Hate even rinsing my mouth after brushing my teeth. It’s so gross.”
“Three years of excuses.”
“It’s obvious they don’t care.”
“I won’t even cook with it anymore; nothing tastes right if I do.”
“I love taking a shower that smells like dirt/stale pond water and I love drinking dirt-flavored water. And I love even more having to pay for dirt water.”
“I can smell it every time I turn the shower or sink on.”
“I just went to McDonald’s for a Dr. Pepper, took one sip, spit it out, and dumped the cup. It was absolutely disgusting! Tastes just like moss from a pond smells like.”
“I drink coffee every morning, and about to start bringing my own water from Hopkins. The smell radiates out of the dish machine, and our kitchen smells like fish.”
One possible explanation is that Mozingo Lake rolled over. However, this problem of bad water has only occurred within the last three years. It has not been the case for the previous 22. One customer reported that they had less of a problem with their well water that they dug mice out of every year.
Based on the comments, not all customers in Maryville have bad water. But too many do. And when the city fails to solve these taste and odor issues, people are going to complain.
Some customers reported they were able to fix their water problems with a water filter. However, people should not have to pay extra for the clean water that customers are entitled to in the first place. And having to buy a water filter on top of water bills is hard for people on low and fixed incomes.
It is unacceptable for the City of Maryville for this problem of taste and odor to go for three years. This is the sort of thing which, if allowed to continue, leads to failed bond issues, failed levies, and inability to provide the services that its citizens expect. In order to provide the kind of services that voters expect, the city needs to earn the confidence of the voters.
City Manager Greg McDaniel responds:
In an emailed response, McDaniel wrote the following:
“The city is not unresponsive and is taking extreme measures to address the aesthetic (taste and odor) issues with the water due to lake turnover. Those measure will correct the issue however the most important thing we would have reported to you is that any change in the water treatment process takes 7-14 days to get through the system to customers. There is not a method of water treatment that instantaneously corrects the issue at hand. We work closely with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to ensure our water continues to exceed minimum standards of drinking water. We also work with customers to explain the process.”
We subsequently spoke with him Monday and got his further thoughts on the issue.
He said he understood customers’ frustration with the issues. He said that since these issues started three years ago, the city has repeatedly changed its processes for monitoring algae levels; they now test for it weekly. They also have procedures in place daily to keep algae out of the system.
Periodically, McDaniel said the city puts chemical treatments into the system, but that there is only so much of that they can do, or it will risk damaging the membranes that take out the particles which, if allowed to enter the water system, would put the city in violation of DNR and EPA standards. Each such treatment costs the city $15,000 a time.
McDaniel said that the city was still researching why there were taste and odor issues in the water system when it had not been an issue for the previous 22 years. Possible answers include algae, erosion, and pesticide runoff.
He said that Maryville’s water exceeds DNR and EPA standards even with the taste and odor issues. McDaniel said that city crews were in the process of flushing out water lines. He encouraged people to call City Hall or contact him directly with any issues of odor or taste. The phone number for City Hall is (660) 562-8001. Sometimes, he said dead end lines would have issues after everyone else was fixed; in that case, the city would come and flush it.
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