Hot Sulphur Springs residents awake to find brown tap water
Town says water not dangerous, result of fire department training
Some residents of Hot Sulphur Springs woke up Wednesday morning to find yellowish-brown water coming out of the taps in their homes, though town officials say it is nothing to be concerned about.
Shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, Hot Sulphur Springs Mayor Robert McVay told Sky-Hi News that the town had been receiving reports from local citizens of brown water. McVay said the discolored water resulted from sediment being stirred up by fire hydrant training conducted by the Hot Sulphur Springs-Parshall Fire Protection District in the town Tuesday night.
The water is not toxic, according to McVay, and the town is not issuing any safety notifications, such as a boil water order. McVay said residents should simply turn their facets on and leave them running to clear out the sediment, which will return the water to its proper clarity.
Wednesday morning’s revelation sparked numerous comments on Facebook and drew the ire of several community residents, who criticized both the discolored water and the fees assessed by the town for water service.
“We pay outrageous water bills; the highest in the county,” Maria Archuleta Jones stated on a Facebook thread on Grand County Online Swap. “Our water is not even drinkable when it’s not brown. Hot Sulphur why do we pay so much for horrible water?”
Another resident, Curtis Lange, told Sky-Hi News he believes the town should not allow dirty water to be delivered to their users, or they should correct the issue if it arises.
“I’m troubled by their solution as I may be billed more if my water use goes over their threshold,” he said.
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