SALADO, Texas (KWTX) – Frustrated Salado residents are demanding answers after the water has been rusty and smells like rotten eggs for nearly two months.

Pretty much every Salado resident west of I-35 is having problems with their water right now, and they tell KWTX they’re fed up.

“I’ve lived here for 35 years. I’ve never seen the water react like it is now,” said Tasha Decker, a Salado resident.

According to Ricky Preston of Salado Water Supply, the city purchases pretreated water from Central Texas and Kempner Water Supply Corporation, both of which operate treatment plants on Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

In June, severe flooding caused the lake to fill with all kinds of debris and sediment, which, according to Preston, “resulted in really poor water quality.”

Bruce Sorenson of Kempner Water Supply says that as the heat increased, a mineral called manganese began to rise and mix with the water.

“It’s in the lake, it’s in the soil. It’s just a common mineral and there’s a lot of it in the water right now,” Sorenson explained.

Currently, the mineral content is twice what it should be, causing the water to look rusty locally. According to Lee Kelley of Central Texas Water Supply, the brownish color is extremely difficult to eliminate because of the manganese.

“Right now we’re removing about 75 percent of the paint,” Kelley said. “It’s just a lot of work to get the paint out … and it’s not harmful, but it doesn’t look good.”

Employees at both treatment plants say they are doing their best to fix the problem, but they fear that water levels will not return to normal until the lake calms down.

“We are pretty sure and confident that the lake will calm down by September. When the lake cools down, it usually calms down,” Sorenson said.

Until then, Preston is actively working to provide the cleanest water possible to his customers, he says.

“We have attracted more and more of our customers from Kempner to Central Texas because the product is better there today,” Preston said.

Based on TCEQ standards, all officials say the water in Salado is safe to drink. However, Decker and many other residents question that statement.

“I started giving my dogs water and watering them again. My dogs have been having stomach problems for the past week and so have I,” Decker explained.

Preston, who lives in Salado, says he understands her frustration, but right now all she can do is be patient.

Preston shared, “It’s been hard, it’s been difficult, and the reason it’s difficult is because you have no control over it.”

Salado residents who live on the east side of I-35 are served by city groundwater and do not have the same water problems as west-side residents. Preston says the groundwater supply is not enough to meet all of the city’s needs.

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