‘Something’s not working’: St. Cloud residents frustrated over years of water issues

ST. CLOUD, Fla. — Some people living in St. Cloud say they’ve been living with brown water for years.

They’re frustrated that, despite several different attempts to fix it, the problem has remained since 2017. Back then, a plant’s polishers failed causing the murky water.

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The city has spent millions to try to fix the issue, installing filtering equipment and cleaning hundreds of miles of pipe. And in November, crews started systematically flushing out water from different locations in hopes of being the final fix. But residents are still seeing the dirty water.

Canoe Creek Lake resident Bianca Collins said the sediments in the brown water ruined her last water heater, and after replacing it in July she wanted to check in on her new investment and found more buildup.

Watch: 9 Investigates: St. Cloud water utility money landing in general fund

“We’ve had clean water for a few months, and then it gets dirty again. So it’s obviously accumulating somewhere,” she said.

Brandi James has been working with neighbors to get the water issue fixed for years.

“It’s exhausting and I’m scared for the people in this community,” James said.

The problems started when polishing filters at this plant failed in 2017: the city spent over 3 million replacing those filters and pumping ice through 28 miles of pipes.

Watch: ‘Like lipstick on a pig’: St. Cloud residents skeptical of latest attempt to address water problems

James said the city’s efforts to clear the water worked for a bit but now the dirty water is back with a vengeance.

“There’s a problem,” James said. “Something’s not working out the way that they thought it was going to.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the city said it needs to do an additional one to two rounds of flushing before this issue is fully resolved, and that discoloration is normal in the areas where flushing is happening.

Read: ‘This is our last step’: St. Cloud in final stages of years-long process of cleaning water lines

City officials said that as they close valves and flush hydrants, sediments get kicked up and can change the color of water in neighboring areas as well, not just where the flushing happens. But the city said it’s committed to eliminating the discolored water and that anyone still having problems is encouraged to contact the city.

You can read the city’s entire statement below:

Read: St. Cloud plans another round of treatment for discolored drinking water

“The City has continued flushing pipes in targeted areas of the city as we continue to address the issue of water discoloration. When we started this unidirectional program last Fall, we shared with the public that we anticipated once we finished the first round of flushing, we would need to do an additional 1-2 rounds of flushing throughout those targeted areas. The first round of flushing was completed in March, and in April, we began round 2 which is continuing. We will continue to communicate the status of these efforts with the community through various channels including the city’s social media pages.

“We have been receiving reports of discolored water in the areas where we are flushing, which is to be expected. Our weekly social media posts let customers know to expect discolored water while we are flushing in the area, and ask them to call us if it does not clear up after we finish flushing and after they have run the water in their homes to flush their pipes as well. As we close valves and flush the hydrants at high rates, the sediment in the pipes gets kicked up. Closing these valves also can change the direction of flow in nearby pipes, causing sediment and color in the neighboring areas. Crews are also doing spot flushing as we receive water color issues. As always, we continue to encourage customers to call us when they have discolored water that does not clear up after we finish flushing in their area and after they have flushed their pipes. The number to call is 407-957-7344.

“We have information on our web site about flushing water heaters. As noted on our web site, we encourage residents who have experienced discolored water to flush their water heaters every few months; this is an effective practice toward preventing residue buildup, keeping the water heater in working order, and a practice that is also recommended as part of a routine home maintenance program independent of this issue.

“We remain committed to continuing our strategic program to eliminate discolored water in the system, and our partners at Toho Water Authority have pledged to continue those efforts once they assume management of the utility Oct. 1. At that time, the number to call will remain the same: 407-957-7344.”

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