ROCKINGHAM — Dark-colored water pouring from faucets across Richmond County had residents riled this summer.
Many posted their complaints on social media, showing videos and photos of brownish water — in some instances as dark as tea — in glasses, sinks and bath tubs.
County Public Works Director Bryan Land said the majority of issues stemmed from dead-end lines that needed flushing, and a series of water main breaks.
Two of those breaks, he said, occurred at locations that are very crucial to the county’s water system: a 20-inch main line from the river on U.S. 74 and an 8-inch main on Old Charlotte Highway.
Land added that these type of breaks are not uncommon during periods of high demand, saying there was news of similar breaks in Charlotte and Raleigh almost daily.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Many people complained about white clothes being ruined from washing them.
In addition to paying the county water bill, a lot of people were buying bottled water for themselves and their pets.
Tavares Bostic organized a water giveaway to residents who were wary of the discolored water.
Dawne McSwain, who lives in Cordova, reported a similar issue in the summer of 2015 and said she has been dealing with dark water for a decade.
County leaders held a public forum in October where County Manager Rick Sago put together an informative presentation explaining the water treatment system and the strict state testing schedule and regulations the county complies with — but only four residents showed up.
WHAT’S NEXT
“We do everything in our power to keep our water quality at the highest level possible, however if a customer is experiencing an issue with quality they must let us know where (so) maintenance crews can be dispatched to flush,” Land said. “We can only help our customers if they let us know.”
He also explained that just posting complaints to Facebook isn’t the way to go about it.
Every occurrence of dirty water can be linked to a disruption in the system, Land said, which may include house fires, hydrants being opened, vehicle accidents with hydrants, routine flushing and maintenance by fire departments, contractors and farmers pulling water from hydrants (legally or stealing) and dead end lines.
“With a system as large as ours you will always experience disruptions and increases in turbidity intermittently,” he said. “We are constantly looking at ways to improve our system and we have made considerable improvements over the last 15 years with the majority of the money coming from grants associated with economic development projects.”