Huntingdon Residents Complain About Brown Water

UPDATE Wednesday, 8-16-2023

As of 3:30 p.m. August 15, 2023, the Huntingdon Water Plant is operating with appropriate pH measurements, according to the Town of Huntingdon. A plastic pipe in the lime administration delivery was found to be obstructed; the lime process is now working properly. Hydrants in the identified areas have been flushed since noon Tuesday. Flushing will continue into the evening as long as water tank levels support flow. The aerator process has been verified for
best efficiency.
The Town of Huntingdon thanks Tony Wyatt with Tennessee Association of Utility Districts for
his support and assistance today. Also, thank you to Barsto Construction, J R Wauford Engineering, and West Tenn. Pblic Utiliity District for their help today.
"We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and concern related to their water supply. The utility department employees have worked diligently over the last 48 hours to diagnose and resolve water needs," said a news release for the the Town..

HUNTINGDON (Tuesday, August 15) — Brown-colored water in Huntingdon is alarming the water customers. On Tuesday, Huntingdon Special School District canceled classes over concerns about the water. While the water is safe to drink, it is badly discolored and is rich in iron.
The older areas of the city, where cast iron pipes transport the city’s drinking water, are more susceptible to brown water laden with iron.

During an emergency meeting of the Mayor and Town Council on Tuesday, they learned the Water Treatment Plant needs upgrades, especially to its aeration and lime-injection systems. The message they want water customers to know — Everything is being done to solve the problem.

Tony Wyatt of the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts, a Huntingdon resident, and Randy Crossett, supervisor of Huntingdon Public Works, said they are working to solve the problem.
Huntingdon pumps and processes about 800,000 gallons of potable water daily. That water is pumped through both PVC and cast iron pipes - some of which or 60 to 70 years old. The Water Treatment Plant was last updated in 1991-92.
Residents are taking to social media to complain about the water in their homes. Councilman Andrew Maddox said residents are sending him photos of their brown-colored water.
The city has flushed fire hydrants to reduce the iron buildup and is working with engineers and other contractors to solve the problem long-term.
Crossett and Larry Miller, both long-term associates of the Water Department, said the Water Treatment Plant needs upgrades to the system. Miller said the plant is reaching its capacity limit and the city needs to plan for the future.
They agreed immediate repairs and updates are needed at the Water Treatment Plant.
The city is installing a monitoring system to track the Ph levels of the water better. That will help the city manage the system on a day-to-day basis.
Wyatt said few area water systems have the Ph monitor that alarms when the alkalinity gets too far out of balance.
City officials agreed they need to inform citizens of the water system problems and assure the citizens the city is working to alleviate the problems.