Whitewater Couple Battles Brown Water
A couple in Whitewater, just west of Palm Springs, said their water isn’t even close to white. They said it’s so dirty they haven’t used it in years.
Andy Hillstrand and Dawn Sanford said brown water with sediment chunks has come out of their pipes for the last four years.
“I poured a glass of water and saw the resin was in there,” said Sanford. “I thought, ‘Oh my god! I’m drinking this stuff!’ I’m cooking in this stuff; I’m brushing my teeth in this stuff, I’m taking a bath in this stuff.”
The couple said the water problem was not their fault.
Hillstrand said he built his home six years ago using high-quality copper pipes. He said he regularly drains the hydrant across the street, to clear up his water.
He thinks there’s a break in the water line and said that the Mission Springs Water District refused to fix it.
“All that it is doing is putting a damn Band-Aid on something that really needs surgery,” said Hillstrand.
But Arden Wallum with Mission Springs Water District said it’s unlikely one of the lines would have a break that workers don’t know about. He said he didn’t know what the problem was with the couple’s water, but he said he’s willing to work with them.
He said the discoloration might be because the house sits at the end of the water line.
On Sunday, water district crews took water samples from a nearby hydrant and the couple’s water meter. So far, they said they see no problems.
“That doesn’t mean this isn’t happening,” said Wallum. “We don’t know. We’re going to put some monitoring and metering devices up there to see what we can do. I can assure you the water is healthy.”
The couple said they can’t help but worry about their health.
They use bottled water to cook and clean with. They’ve also contacted a cancer specialist.
“You have got a deadly brew. You have neurological problems brain, physical, cancer,” said Dr. Jane Smith, a neighbor of the couple.
The state health department planned a visit on Tuesday to inspect the water.
This weekend, the water cleared for a short time, the couple said, and they worried the water district was trying to fix the problem only because of the visit.
In the meantime, the couple said, the only option may be moving out of their dream home unless things clear up.
