PORTER, Texas – For weeks, KPRC 2 has been sharing stories about the persistent brown water issues affecting residents in the Woodridge Forest subdivision. Now, progress is being made to test the water.
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Sheila Stoll, a Porter resident, who reached out to our Help Desk, has been dealing with discolored water and is eager to determine what’s causing it.
“I want to be able to test this and find out what’s in there,” she told Turner.
Last week, the utility district responsible for the area showed Turner the steps they’ve taken to resolve the issue. Following that, Quality Home Products, a company specializing in water treatment systems, reached out to offer assistance with water testing.
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Jared Castro, Assistant Service Manager at Quality Home Products, visited a Porter home to conduct testing. The process involved collecting a sample from an outdoor faucet, which is connected to the same water supply used throughout the subdivision.
“We sell actual whole-home water treatment and under-sink drinking units,” Castro said.
The goal of the testing is to analyze the discolored water and identify the composition of total dissolved solids (TDS), which include both beneficial and harmful substances.
“The main thing is to find out what’s actually making up the discolored water,” Castro said. “So, you have what they call silicas, or you have a total number which is called TDS—total dissolved solids. That’s everything, good or bad, that’s in your water in a solid form. So, it will break down all those solids individually and tell you what you have.”
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Inframark, the utility company servicing Woodridge Forest, has been routinely flushing hydrants in an effort to clear out sediment. Last week, crews modified an underground valve box to adjust the water flow, a change expected to help prevent sediment buildup over time.
Although Inframark and Quality Home Products are not affiliated, Castro recommends that homeowners consider water treatment systems to address water quality concerns. He demonstrated how these systems work.
Castro noted that water issues are affecting multiple Texas communities beyond Porter.
“You’d be surprised, especially nowadays,” Castro said. “Water is definitely not getting any better, especially with all the construction. You know, these private wells—it’s just—it’s not good.”
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The water sample collected by Quality Home Products has been sent to a lab for analysis, and results are expected within a week.
In the meantime, Turner reached out to Inframark for updates. Company President Todd Burrer stated that most of the discoloration issues are concentrated on the east side of the neighborhood. Crews will continue to flush hydrants as part of ongoing efforts to improve water quality.
KPRC 2 will provide updates as new information becomes available.