BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Alliance Water Resources says the brown water running from taps across Martin County is the result of mineral buildup inside aging pipes — a condition made worse, they say, by high summer temperatures and low water levels in the county’s reservoir.
Despite the technical explanation, key questions remain while the district awaits test results. Has the district tested the water in homes that have brown water? What role does the reservoir play? And when will the problem be resolved?
In a statement issued Monday, Todd Adams, regional operations manager at Alliance, attributed the persistent discoloration to calcium and manganese scaling in the distribution system. The minerals, which naturally occur in soil and rock, can enter the water supply and accumulate over time inside pipes. Under certain conditions, such as warmer water temperatures, the scale can break loose and cause the water to appear cloudy or brown, he said.
To address part of the problem, Adams pointed to the district’s raw water reservoir, which he said is operating below pool level, meaning the water temperature is warmer. That situation, he explained, was due to delays in installing a permanent electric pump at the intake site on the Tug River.
The raw water intake pump is part of a grant-funded project overseen by the Big Sandy Area Development District. After years of delay on the project and overwhelming costs for rental pumps and fuel, the district again rented a diesel pump July 2 to resume pumping water from the river into the reservoir.
According to Adams, increasing the reservoir’s volume will help lower water temperature entering the treatment facility, which could reduce the scale-release effect.
Adams emphasized Monday that every sample taken from water leaving the treatment plant continues to meet state and federal safe drinking standards.
By his own description, the problem lies in the distribution system, which raises another core question. If the treated water is clean, what is happening in the system that is turning it brown, and where is the evidence?
On Tuesday, Adams stated the district pulled samples from the plant tap, the reservoir and the field and sent those to a third-party lab for manganese testing.
Without test results late Tuesday from affected homes, Alliance’s diagnosis remained speculative.
What is known is that many Martin County residents continue to report discolored water that stains laundry, clogs filters and raises concerns about safety. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates manganese as a secondary contaminant, meaning there is no enforceable limit in drinking water, leaving many skeptical of reassurances that the brown water is safe.
Alliance said it is taking several steps to improve water quality. The district is flushing lines in response to complaints and is developing a countywide flushing plan to carry out twice annually. Officials say such a program was not feasible in the past due to chronic water shortages.
Martin County residents Crystal and Jilson Newsome say flushing did not help at their home: “They flushed the lines, but the water is still brown.”
The Newsomes ask the same question that many others ask: “Why are we paying for water every month, and this looks like sewer water? Not fit to even take a bath in.”
Alliance was also working to replace the filter media in four of the six filters at the treatment plant, which Adams said would help reduce the amount of mineral content entering the distribution system.
For now, the district will continue flushing and encourages residents to report any issues.
This story was updated.
Related: Brown water: Judge calls on PSC to rescind outside management of Martin County Water District