LISBON (WGME) – Some Lisbon residents have been struggling with brown, murky water lately.

Residents compare their water to things like Moxie lemonade, black coffee and mud.

This isn’t the first time residents have struggled with this. Abby and Chase Cote say they’ve lived in Lisbon for four years and their water randomly turns brown and cloudy up to three or more times a year. The Cotes say they had a filter installed in their home to try to reduce the brown substance in the water, but on days like Wednesday, the filter doesn’t seem to help.

Many young families, like the Cote family, are frustrated by recurring water problems because they have a one-year-old child and a dog in their family.

A resident’s water was deep brown on Wednesday morning.

After eight hours, the deposits remaining in the water were clearly visible.

Many residents have expressed their concerns on social media and asked many questions, such as when this problem will be resolved. Shellie Reynolds, interim director general of the Lisbon Water Department, issued a statement on Wednesday.

“We know how frustrating it can be to feel like you can’t trust the water you’re paying for and don’t know if it’s safe to use. It may not taste very good, but it’s safe to drink and use.”

We have been actively addressing complaints about water quality issues over the past few weeks, particularly the brown water that has affected several areas of Lisbon and Lisbon Falls over the past 24 hours. We have flushed several areas and now know that the water in the main water line has cleared. Customers may need to flush their service line to receive clean water and resolve the issue at their specific location.

If discoloration or any type of water issues continue to occur, please contact our office at 207-353-3020 during normal business hours. After normal business hours, please call 353-2500 and the on-duty agent will contact you as soon as possible.

We thank our customers for communicating with us and being patient while we make improvements to the system.”

CBS13 also contacted the Lisbon City Council, which stated that it has no operational oversight of the Lisbon Water Management Authority.

On Wednesday, residents told us the water district was there and flushed several fire hydrants where the problem occurred. Residents said this helped get their water clean again for now.