Thomas residents raise alarm over discolored water

THOMAS, W.Va. (WBOY) — Residents of the City of Thomas are expressing their frustrations after dealing with brown water for at least a month.

Thomas residents began reporting discolored water on June 29 and have since had to resort to alternative methods of obtaining it such as buying bottled water and driving to different cities for laundry.

Residents are concerned about the financial cost the water will incur when the quality returns to normal including the cost of replacing stained clothes, damaged household appliances, and potentially their health.

“We cannot use the water for cooking, we can’t use the water for drinking, you’re not supposed to brush your teeth in it,” Linda Fridley, a Thomas resident for more than 50 years, said.

On top of all of the inconveniences, residents of Thomas are still paying the water bill.

“We’re paying our water bill. In addition, we’re paying for the bottled water that we’re buying at the store,” Thomas resident Joe Dumire said. “You do shower in it, but you wonder based on these reports that have been put online, ‘what are you doing to yourself?’”

The reports Dumire is referring to are the social media posts of Thomas resident Stephanie Cussins, who in June decided to look into the water herself and posted what she found online . Cussins’ findings said that based on data provided via the EPA’s website , Thomas has not been in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act for the last 12 quarters (3 years), with nine having ”significant violations.”

On top of that, under the nonprofit Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Tap Water Database , Thomas’s water has a number of contaminants that the nonprofit lists as potentially cancer-causing. While all of the listed contaminants are within the legal limit, three of the chemicals had a concentration over 100 times that of EWG’s recommendations.

Throughout all of this, the local government has been giving out bottled water at City Hall, though some say on an inconsistent basis. Residents have also been frustrated with the local government’s lack of communication, saying that it’s been sporadic and adding that there have been no online posts. One resident showed 12 News the boil water notice that was posted at the post office on July 3, which cites high iron levels in the reservoir as the problem.

Dumire told 12 News that he had a conversation with one of the city council members, who pointed to West Virginia’s summer drought as a source of the problem and said that they were reaching out to Gov. Jim Justice and one of West Virginia’s senators for help.

The City of Thomas declined to comment on this matter, but 12 News has read a copy of the latest city council agenda which included discussions about raising water rates.

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