TUCKERMAN, AR (KAIT) – Complaints have trickled into
Tuckerman once again about its water supply.
Neighbors in one area discovered brown water flowing from
their faucets Sunday.
The problem appears to be more minor than previous
incidents, as city officials blame the brown water on a fire hydrant rather
than mechanical issues at its water treatment plant.
The water has likely cleared up now, but neighbors like Burl
Ledbetter say they have complained about these problems long enough.
Ledbetter says months
have passed since he last reported any brown water in his bathtub, sink or
toilet, but it appeared again when he expected least.
"I got up [Sunday] morning, and I made coffee – totally
clear," he said about the water. "Then, I went at noon to take a shower and
boom – there we go, coffee, coffee coming out of my faucets."
Ledbetter called the Tuckerman Police Department to report
the issue, saying it's the worst quality water he had ever seen.
"Tuckerman's brown water is well known in this area,"
Ledbetter said. "Until we get it fixed, this community is going to have a bad
reputation."
Mayor Larry Bowen spoke about this latest brown water
sighting off-camera Monday. He said it was an isolated incident, concentrated
near Ledbetter's neighborhood. He claims a fire hydrant shook loose deposits of
iron and manganese that discolored the water.
That is a common occurrence, according to Jeff Stone with
the Arkansas Health Department.
"The water is safe," said Stone, who is the AHD director of
engineering, "although it doesn't mean that there isn't reason to complain when
there is off-colored water."
Stone heads up the team responsible for monitoring the
quality of drinking water throughout the state. He has tested the water in
Tuckerman several times before, which has consistently come out clean despite
its sometime murky appearance.
Region 8 News obtained the test results from the monthly
bacteria samples taken by ADH throughout Tuckerman for the past two years. The
results have always come back positive and have shown no health risk for
residents.
Stone says the issue likely lies in the wells from where
Tuckerman draws its water. Those wells contain iron and manganese. The city's
water workers monitor these levels, which can occasionally get too high to
filter properly. This causes the water to turn brown.
Stone compliments the town for making improvements to its aging
water treatment system when needed. He says that has led to fewer complaints to
ADH in recent months, though more costly repairs are likely necessary in the
future.
"Tuckerman has an older water treatment plant," Stone said, "and
certainly at some point they're going to have to take a look at a significant reinvestment
in their water treatment plant."
When that project would begin or what it would cost is uncertain,
according to Stone.
Ledbetter just hopes that he does not have to worry about
brown water much longer.
"What's the solution?"
he wonders. "That's what we want in Tuckerman, a long-term solution."
A long-term solution may be in sight.
Mayor Bowen and other city officials say they are currently
drawing up a master plan for its water treatment facility.
They hope to have it finalized and ready to present to the
public sometime soon.
Copyright 2013 KAIT.
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(Source: Burl Ledbetter of Tuckerman)
(Source: Burl Ledbetter of Tuckerman)
(Source: Burl Ledbetter of Tuckerman)
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