What's in the water in Ashland | Action 16 Investigates

Along Route 61 just outside of Ashland, there's a sign for the village of Fountain Springs.

Less than a mile up the road, there's another sign that indicates that Fountain Springs may be a misnomer.

Using markers and poster board, Jeff Stutzman posted a message outside his home. The sign reads, ‘Water’s bad, DEP send help.’

“Our water has been bad on and off for going on two years now,” Stutzman told Action 16.

Stutzman put up that sign after he says his complaints to local officials about the quality of the water at his home fell on deaf ears. 

He's among dozens of people from this part of Schuylkill County who have posted pictures and videos online of brown water coming from their taps and in their toilets. The color of the water can depend on the time of day or on where you live.

Jeff and his wife Bethany buy filters for their water and say they have maxed out credit cards just to keep their water clean.

“We're looking at 42 dollars every other day,” Stutzman said of the filters he buys in bulk. 

Jeff and Bethany say they can't get a clear answer to what's making their water brown.

Fountain Springs is part of Butler Township. It, along with Shamokin Township in Northumberland County and Ashland Borough in Schuylkill County, all get their water from the Ashland Area Municipal Authority.

The water controversy boiled over at an authority meeting back in August.

Authority members insisted that the water is safe to drink.

After that meeting, Action 16 Investigates went to the Ashland area with a home water test kit we bought from Amazon for less than $30. We took samples from Jeff Stutzman's house in Fountain Springs and another in Ashland borough. Both samples were clear. The tests from both homes showed elevated levels of iron.

In an email to Action 16 Investigates, the authority's engineer said she can't comment on our test results but that iron in water doesn't usually pose a health risk.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection receives test results from the Ashland Area Municipal Authority about once a month. Results posted on the DEP website don't show any red flags.

Then- the DEP shared with us more detailed results from its most recent tests in August.

Note from DEP officials regarding test results: please note after the results were received, it was noted that the Turkey Hill manganese concentration was significantly higher than the other results. A call to the lab revealed that the analyst inadvertently ran the test for magnesium as opposed to manganese. The lab still had the sample on hand and ran the test for manganese, as initially requested – the results were found to be non-detect.

Iron levels were normal. At several locations, though, the tests picked up levels of manganese that exceeded federal standards for drinking water. Samples were collected at 12 locations, and at four of those locations, manganese levels exceeded the “Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels” set by the EPA. 

Officials with the DEP say the elevated levels of manganese may affect the color and taste of drinking water, but the levels found in Ashland do not pose any health risks. 

Stephany Lesko of Ashland told Action 16 she will only give her young children bottled water. But she needs to use the water from her tap for watering her garden, giving her kids baths, and for doing laundry.

"It makes your clothes smell, so I use Oxi-clean with my laundry, and I use a bleach alternative. It's really hard, I don't know, I hope we don't have an aroma,” Lesko said.

Stephany posted this video to YouTube last year. She said this is the worst the water has ever been. But every morning, she says, her family has brown water coming from their taps. 

The borough of Ashland was established in 1857. The Ashland Area Municipal Authority's engineer wrote in her email that some of the water pipes in town are almost as old, and sediment from those pipes could be the cause of the brown water.

Replacing all the pipes would cost millions of dollars. So, they are replaced piecemeal- like in early September when a main broke at 3rd and Centre streets in Ashland. The authority used emergency funds to replace that broken pipe. 

The Authority's solicitor told Action 16 that members have considered selling to a larger utility company, but that hasn't happened because the authority wants to be able to control rates for its customers.

Jeff Stutzman's most recent water bill was $171 dollars for the quarter but as he sees it, he's paying for a resource he can't use. 

"At this point, we can't afford to properly pay that and produce our own water separately for our children,” Stutzman said.

As far as his request for the DEP to send help, DEP officials tell Action 16 they're now receiving complaints from residents and meeting with authority officials. The latest water testing in the Ashland area was part of the agency’s own investigation of the problem.

A solution to this problem is likely further down the road, and details on what that might look like are still murky at best. 

Stutzman added, "I don't ask for a whole lot, and we're a very simple, you know, hot dogs and ramen noodle type of family. We live on one income. It would just be nice to get some kind of drinking water.”

Below are responses from Ashland Area Municipal Authority engineer Jennifer Kowalonek.

Question: I was wondering if the Authority was aware of the results of the DEP's latest testing?

Jennifer Kowalonek’s answer: The testing is completed by the Ashland Area Municipal Authority (AAMA), Certified Plant Operator and submitted to PADEP as part of the response to the complaints.

Q: When we met with some residents last week, we used a basic at-home water test that detected iron in the water. Does this reflect what the DEP has found? And if so, are the iron levels safe to drink? When the water is running brown, would you drink it? What do you suggest these customers should do when the water is brown?

A: Iron in water does not usually present a health risk. Without the results of the testing, I cannot comment on the results of the testing completed with a personal home test. We do know that the samples taken at representative locations through the system and presented to PADEP are safe to drink.

The question regarding the water running brown and drinking it is not easily answered because we need to be understanding of why water is discolored. Water that has elevated levels of iron and manganese can have a discoloration. All waterlines collect sediment and it is normal. If there has been a disruption or change in pressures in the system, the sediment within the piping system becomes disturbed and cause discoloration of the water. Pressure changes happen when there is a water main break, or a hydrant is opened for routine flushing or to fight a fire. If a customer has brown water, they should investigate to see if there is any of the above situations. If the system was affected, it is critical that the customer to also “flush” their system by running the cold water at the tap closest to the water meter for several minutes to clear the lines. Flushing toilets twice is also suggested. Unless there is a water boil advisory issued by the Certified Plant Operator, then it is safe to drink the water.

Q: At the Authority meeting earlier this month members said the DEP is working with the Authority to address the issue. Can you elaborate on those efforts?

A: PADEP did meet with the Authority Management team. The PADEP representative reviewed the actions of the Authority through the time when the complaints were filed and agreed that the actions taken were appropriate for the situation. PADEP also required additional in system testing to confirm the safety of the water supply. Those sample results are what you have provided as “PADEP’s latest testing”

Q: I understand that some of the pipes in Ashland are over a century old- are they the cause of the brown water some customers are seeing? Any estimate on what it would cost to replace these pipes?

A: The infrastructure throughout the country is aging. A google search can provide stats from Infrastructure Report Cards where the ages of systems are averaging anywhere from 50 to 150 years old. Some of the brown water is attributed to sediment in the pipes from years of use, but as noted above sediment in the lines is normal. To replace the entire water distribution system we would need to do a detailed estimate, but it is safe to say that a replacement project is millions of dollars.

Q: People have also been telling us that they have been reporting their water issues to the borough for more than a year- what do you suggest people do if they have brown water at home? What's their recourse?

A: As noted at the last meeting, there have been rare cases of customers coming to the meeting to report water issues over the life of the Authority. There has been no reporting to the Authority of significant concerns being raised by customers until last month. We suggest that if the customer has an issue that they attend the monthly meeting to voice their concerns, and if they are unavailable to attend that they reach out in writing to the Authority notifying them of their issues/concerns. As always, they may contact the Ashland Borough Hall 401 South 18th Street, Ashland, PA 17921 at (570) 875-2411.