PORTER, Texas – Imagine getting ready to take a shower, relax in the tub, or wash a load of clothes—and your water is brown.
It’s the murky reality for a community in Porter. Residents say they’re fed up with the mess, especially after reaching out to the MUD for help and getting no results.
They contacted our KPRC 2 Help Desk, and Re’Chelle Turner started digging into the issue.
Turner spoke with Todd Burrer, President of Inframark, which oversees Woodridge MUD. He says the culprit is naturally occurring minerals in groundwater from aquifers, which can discolor the water.
But for residents, the situation is anything but clear. They describe the water as undrinkable, say it stains their clothes and appliances, and claim it’s costing them hundreds of dollars on filtration systems. They’re demanding a permanent solution instead of a temporary fix.
“I have a one-year-old, a three-year-old, and a seven-year-old at home. Obviously, our family’s safety and health are at risk—not only from a bathing perspective but also from the water we’re drinking,” Gina Mabry said.
The brown water flowing through the Woodridge Forest community in Porter has residents feeling a bit drained.
Sheila Stoll says her garage has become a water stockpile.
“We use purified or spring water for drinking, and we keep some in the fridge,” she said.
Residents say this persistent problem has plagued their neighborhood for years, and the situation is not exactly crystal clear. Many have called and filed complaints with Inframark, which oversees the Woodridge MUD.
Residents shared footage and pictures with KPRC2 of brown water pouring from their faucets and bathtubs. They even showed us what the water looks like after the hydrants are flushed.
“And that’s the concern—we don’t have any answers as to what is causing the problem or how it’s going to be resolved,” Mabry said.
Reporter Question:
“Some residents say they’ve been reaching out to Inframark for years. Why has it taken so long to get this fixed?”
“A lot of places in Houston do have discolored water, but in most cases, it clears up naturally. Since we don’t produce water, we don’t have a way to treat it directly. The best solution is usually flushing through hydrants, but with the addition of a new water meter a few years ago, the flow patterns changed, and the problem has gotten worse. That’s why we’re working with the board of directors and the engineer to develop a better solution,” Todd Burrer said.
Inframark President Todd Burrer explains that the issue stems from a meter added to improve water flow to the district. Instead, it disrupted flow patterns, worsening the discoloration.
But for residents, the explanations aren’t holding water.
“It should be isolated and solved—that would be my recommendation,” Stoll said.
Burrer says the next steps include revalving the community’s water distribution system based on the engineer’s recommendations. This process is expected to resolve the issue within 30 to 60 days.
Inframark assures residents that all water meets EPA and TCEQ standards for safety and quality, but they encourage anyone with concerns to call their 24-hour help desk.
Addressing the Issue of Brown Water in Woodbridge MUD
1. The Issue: Residents in the Woodbridge MUD community are dealing with discolored water, described as brown or orange. This is caused by manganese, a naturally occurring mineral. While discoloration is not a health risk, it has been frustrating for residents, who report issues like stained clothes and damaged appliances.
2. Cause of Discoloration: According to Inframark, the water is purchased from Porter SUD and flows directly into the neighborhood. Most water in the Greater Houston area is sourced from underground aquifers, which can contain minerals like manganese. A change in water flow patterns, caused by the addition of a new water meter to improve flow a few years ago, is believed to have exacerbated the discoloration issue.
3. Immediate Actions: The utility is flushing water lines as a temporary solution to address the discoloration. Inframark, the management company, is collaborating with the district’s engineer to finalize a water model that will inform adjustments to the system’s flow.
4. Proposed Solution: The utility plans to divide the neighborhood into two sections, with each side receiving water from a dedicated meter. Revalving the community’s water distribution system based on the engineer’s recommendations will help restore normal water quality.
5. Timeline: The initial changes to the water distribution system are expected to be implemented within a week. The full resolution, including system adjustments, is projected to take 30 to 60 days.
6. Long-Term Strategy: Inframark is working with Porter SUD to address the root causes of the discoloration and prevent future issues.
7. Public Communication: The utility representative has acknowledged residents’ frustrations and emphasized their commitment to providing clear water, especially given the costs paid by residents.
8. Utility District’s Role: The local utility district purchases water from Porter SUD and distributes it to residents. The board of directors is actively engaged in finding solutions and advocating for further action by Porter SUD to address the issue.
Turner also reached out to Commissioner Matt Gray who represents Precinct 4 in Montgomery County:
Thank you for reaching out to our office. We were recently made aware of this issue by a constituent on December 18th. While our office does not oversee water utility operations directly and have no authority over Inframark or Porter SUD, we recommend that the residents reach out directly to TCEQ, which regulates public water systems in Texas for an investigation. Additionally, we urge residents to ask their homeowners association how long Woodbridge Forest is under contract with Inframark. If they are not happy with their service, the HOA should search for other providers.
Thank you again for reaching out to our office regarding this issue and for working to find a solution for the residents of Woodbridge Forest.
In addition, Turner also reached out to the Porter Utility District and asked a few questions.
In order to best answer your questions, please let me give some background information regarding Porter Special Utility District (Porter SUD). Porter SUD operates a retail and wholesale water supply system in southeast Montgomery County. We provide retail water supply service to more than 7,000 retail and several wholesale water supply customers, of which Woodridge MUD (whose internal water operations are conducted by Inframark) is one of those wholesale customers. Woodridge MUD operates as a separate water supply entity from Porter SUD.
Timeline and Scope:
How long has Porter SUD been aware of the water discoloration issue in the Porter area? The issue of water discoloration in Woodridge MUD was discussed in a meeting between Porter SUD and Woodridge MUD in August 2024, where Woodridge MUD had brought this item up as an intermittent and geographically isolated internal issue within the Woodridge MUD water distribution system. Discussion at that meeting included potential operational changes in the Woodridge MUD water distribution system which Porter SUD operations staff thought could be helpful in addressing their concerns. Since that time Porter SUD’s operators have received a couple calls from Woodridge MUD’s operators related to discolored water, although Porter SUD was not aware of this being more than isolated circumstances within the distribution system of Woodridge MUD. At the time of those calls, Porter SUD operators verified that the water being supplied to Woodridge MUD was free from discoloration.
Is this problem isolated to Porter, or are similar issues present in other communities managed by Porter SUD? We are not seeing this issue significantly affecting customers of Porter SUD or any of our other wholesale water customers. In response to your request, Porter SUD has reviewed customer complaints from our retail customers in the area of Woodridge MUD and found one (1) customer complaint call of discolored water in the area of Woodridge MUD in the last year from our retail customers. When that complaint was investigated, the Porter SUD operator found the water to be clear of discoloration when he arrived at the location. Our experience in our own distribution system is that discoloration issues may occur occasionally and tend to resolve quickly.
Causes and Investigation:
What are the identified causes of the brown water in Porter? Porter SUD’s water supply is 100% from groundwater sources. Groundwater supplies contain some level of metals and minerals, some of which can lead to water discoloration. Porter SUD treats its water supply with a polyphosphate product approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to sequester metals that are part of the composition of the local groundwater supply in this region. Porter SUD also maintains an active program of flushing water lines, as required by the TCEQ as part of maintaining optimal water quality. Both are routine operational methods that can curtail potential water discoloration issues. Porter SUD retail customers near Woodridge MUD are not experiencing these discoloration issues, so we are unsure of the exact cause of discoloration reported to be occurring in the Woodridge MUD distribution system.
Has Porter SUD conducted any investigations or assessments to determine the root cause of the discoloration? Porter SUD met with Woodridge MUD to discuss this situation in August 2024. However, any changes that need to be made to the internal operations of Woodridge MUD must be addressed by their operations staff.
During that period Porter SUD also checked the water quality in the Porter SUD service area near Woodridge MUD but failed to find the same issue affecting Porter SUD’s retail customers.
Testing and Safety:
Have water quality tests been performed to assess the safety of the water for residents? Porter SUD has not performed tests specifically related to these reports from Woodridge MUD. Porter SUD routinely conducts water quality tests as required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. These tests have shown the Porter SUD water supply to meet or exceed water supply regulatory standards for safe drinking water.
If so, could you share the results of these tests and any measures taken in response to the findings? Porter SUD posts water quality testing data on its website as part of our customer notification requirements in our annual Consumer Confidence Reports.
These reports are available on the website, which you can find by clicking here.