PORTER, Texas – Earlier this month, residents in Porter reached out to the Click2Houston Help Desk, concerned about brown water flowing from their faucets.
PREVIOUS: Murky, brown water still a consistent problem for Porter residents
KPRC 2′s Rechelle Turner will be back in Porter on Monday when officials say they will be flushing the water and share how the process works.
Neighbors say the issue comes and goes, but over time, it has ruined appliances, fixtures, clothes, and filtration systems. They also fear the long-term effects on their health.
Despite reassurances from the water company, the problem persists, leaving homeowners frustrated, out of pocket, and worried about their health.
SEE ALSO: ‘It’s disgusting:’ Porter Residents frustrated over brown water issue
Sheila Stoll, a resident of the Woodridge Forest community, reached out again to KPRC 2 to show exactly what she and her neighbors are dealing with.
Standing in her home, Stoll holds up a container of water taken from her tub.
The liquid inside resembles watered-down coffee or a diluted soda. Several bottled water samples have a distinct brown tint.
“They’re trying to say it’s like a powder or silt or something… maybe iron, but it’s got an oily residue,” Stoll said.
That residue has coated her bathtub and sink, requiring constant cleaning.
“I clean that quite a bit,” she added.
Beyond the inconvenience, Stoll says she’s worried about what’s actually in the water.
“I have a lot of concerns health-wise,” she said. “Looking back, I can probably attribute some of my health issues to this. I’ve had to replace things quite a bit. The fixtures are deteriorating, and it’s very hard to keep things clean.”
High Costs, No Answers
On top of her frustrations with the water quality, Stoll is also questioning a $38.50 infrastructure fee that appears on her water bill each month.
“I’ve lived here eight years, paying $6,436 a year in MUD taxes. That’s about $50,000 since we’ve moved in. That’s a lot of money—for water that looks like this. Unacceptable.”
She compared the situation to buying a defective product.
“If you bought this at a store, if you went and bought a bottle of water, you would return it and get your money back. I’d like to have that happen.”
Water Company Response
Stoll recently recorded workers flushing the pumps in her neighborhood, but she says temporary fixes aren’t enough.
“Why has this not been resolved? What needs to happen? What are they planning to do? What is their plan of action? I would like to know their plan of action. And our money—what is it being used for?”
Last week the President of Inframark Todd Burrer sent Turner a response saying, a recent fire hydrant flow test may have caused the latest water quality issues. The district board is aware of residents’ concerns and says it is committed to resolving them.
MORE: Would you drink this?! People in Porter plagued by nasty brown water
Meanwhile, KPRC 2 has reached out to local water testing companies for independent analysis and is waiting for a response. After Turner aired the story Friday at 6:30 AM, two water companies emailed her.
Turner also spoke to Burrer over the phone. He provided new information about the problem.
‘Yesterday afternoon, Inframark received the completed water model from the District Engineer. The model shows that we can successfully bifurcate the District as proposed. We plan on beginning the exercise on Monday morning. We anticipate the residents will see a difference in the water quality very soon.”