Milton residents deal with discolored water

MILTON, WV (WOWK) — Over the weekend, Milton residents reported that the water in town was a yellowish-brown color and remained that way for hours.

Residents told 13 News this has been an ongoing issue for years. Some said that it was every week, and others said it was an everyday issue.

On top of the coloration issue, residents received a notice on the July 31 that said that testing for nitrates had not been done with appropriate timing back in 2023. The notice did not state how long that was the case.

David Mays, a resident of Milton, said this issue makes him concerned for his family’s health as he does not know what is causing this issue and doesn’t know how it may affect his family.

The City of Milton flushed the system Monday to help fix the problem. According to one city worker, the discoloration is due to sediments in the water which comes from the Mud River. They also said that flushing the hydrants was completely routine. However, Mays sees this as a temporary solution.

“It seems to be reactive, not proactive, flushing hydrants. That’s after complaints have been made. No trying to get to the root cause of what they what the issue is, and it’s gone on for years,” Mays said.

13 News reached out to the mayor’s office as well as the city municipal office for comment. Neither has responded.

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