MITCHELL, Ind. — More and more people are complaining about the water quality in Lawrence County. Some say dirty water is a familiar sight for South Lawrence Utilities customers in Mitchell.
“I would love to have clean water, point blank,” said Lizzie Dixon, a homeowner in Lawrence County. “I would say it happens at least once a month, if not more.”
FOX59/CBS4 received email after email about the ongoing problems, especially on Friday when a water main broke.
Photos of the water quality in Lawrence County sent to FOX59/CBS4 by viewers.
“This time was probably the worst I have seen so far,” Dixon said.
After getting word of the broken line, FOX59 and CBS4 began to look into the matter. After a drive to Lawrence County on Monday, crews found a “closed” sign hanging from the door at South Lawrence Utilities. The door to the utility company’s building was also locked.
FOX59 and CBS4 followed up with South Lawrence Utilities via phone, but company officials said they had no comment on the current state of their customers’ water.
FOX59 and CBS4 did manage to get in touch with the City of Mitchell about the area’s water problems.
“The last couple of years, I’ve heard a little bit of complaints now and then that the water may be discolored, but I did not realize that it had grown quite to the level that it has grown to recently because I am not a Facebook person,” said Don Caudell, the City of Mitchell’s mayor.
Those living within the City of Mitchell’s limits are connected to a different water supplier, so they aren’t experiencing the same problems as people living on the outskirts of the town.
“I have been in office since January 1, and I have not had one complaint about the water quality here in the city,” Caudell said.
But many people outside of the city like Dixon are continuing to deal with murky water coming from their faucets. That’s why Dixon started a Facebook group to connect with others experiencing the same issues.
Video of the water in Lawrence County sent to FOX59/CBS4 by a viewer.
“We started this Facebook group, and that’s how we were able to collect data, who is all dealing with it, and how bad the problems are,” she said. “Once I started it, I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’ I was like ‘I thought I had it bad.’ And then you see some of the photos on there, and it’s not nearly as bad as others do. So, that was really eye-opening for me.”
For now, many people living outside of Mitchell are relying on bottled water and filters, which can prove costly over time.
“Basically, we really want clean water,” Dixon said. “It’s high-level manganese and who knows what else. I would just want the government officials to care about what’s (happening) in their communities.”
