‘It’s been hard’: Salado residents still concerned over water quality after over two months of water issues
SALADO, Texas (KWTX) – Over the last two months many Salado residents have expressed their frustration and concerns over the quality of their water, which they say is discolored and has an odd-smell to it.
Water that they use to take a shower, brush their teeth, and wash their hands comes out with a yellow or brown tint and smells like rotten eggs.
According to Ricky Preston, the general manager for the Salado Water Supply Corporation, this all started after severe flooding in the area contaminated the Stillhouse Hollow Lake, which is where Salado gets most of their water.
“All of the nasty sedimentation, all the debris that was around, all flooded into that lake, and it created a really bad quality of water,” he said.
Preston explained that they buy pre-treated water from the Central Texas and Kempner Water Supply Corporations, who have treatment plants on the lake.
However, despite their treatments they have been unable to get rid of the discoloration and odor, leaving residents frustrated.
Preston is a resident of Salado himself and understands their frustration, saying “it’s been hard, and the reason it is hard is because you don’t have control over it.”
But he assures residents that the water is still treated and safe to drink.
“It’s been 100% safe to drink since day one, that’s never changed. We’ve always maintained a chlorine residual, disinfectant residual, in the water to keep it safe to drink, and we check those residuals daily,” Preston said.
He also explained that the water is slowly clearing up, but it won’t be back to normal until the lake itself clears up, which will take time.
If residents have any additional questions, they may reach out to the Salado Water Supply Corporation at (254) 947-5424.
