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

Pretty much every Salado resident west of I-35 is experiencing this right now, and they’re sick of it.

Tasha Decker is one of these residents and says: “I have lived here for 35 years and have never seen the water react like it is now.”

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 filled the lake with all kinds of debris and sediment, which Preston said “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 contaminate 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 water level is twice as high as it should be, causing residents’ water to be discolored.

But according to Lee Kelley of Central Texas Water Supply, manganese is extremely difficult to completely remove the color.

“Right now we’re removing about 75% 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.”

Both treatment plants are doing their best to fix the problem, but they say the water level will not return to normal until the lake has calmed 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 for 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 wonder how it can even be safe to use.

“I started giving my dogs water and watering them again…well, my dogs have been having upset stomachs 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 is not enough to meet all of the city’s needs.

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