Hartley to investigate brown tap water issues

The Hartley City Council on Monday agreed to investigate an issue that has plagued households across town for years.

The council instructed Bolton & Menk engineer Wes Boyer to look into potential causes of brown tap water that sporadically affects homes in Hartley. Despite efforts to regularly flush water mains, the issue has persisted for several years.

"I definitely want to look into it, because it's a problem," said Council Member Ron Hengeveld. "The public would definitely like us to find some answers."

According to discussion, the issue affects neighborhoods in all areas of town, both new and old. Resident Maureen Rawlings said her home gets brown water frequently and pleaded with the council to address the problem.

"It just destroys your clothes. I'm tired of living in dingy," she said. "This is horrible to scrub out of everything."

Rawlings said her water is "greasy" at times and leaves a film on the items it touches. She said it has clogged water lines in certain appliances and is frequently unusable.

"I can't keep living like this," she said. "It's horrible."

Council members were sympathetic to Rawlings' concerns and said they field complaints frequently.

"When I get it at my house, it's really brown," said Council Member Nick Galm. "We need to figure it out."

"You can flush lines all you want, but it doesn't go away," said Council Member Mary Westphalen. "You gotta get to the root of the problem."

Since the problem is widespread, Boyer believed the entire water system would need to be tested and modeled. He said there were ways to televise water lines but it's a more involved process than sewer lines because those pipes are pressurized.

"I don't know if there's going to necessarily be a quick fix," he said.