WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — West Valley City residents near 2300 South and Redwood Road woke up to brown water coming from their taps — and many had no idea why.
Chris Gonzalez was one of them. "I didn't notice until after I was done shaving, and then I noticed the water was brown," Gonzalez said.
He called his wife in to confirm what he was seeing, then tried the shower. "Went into the shower to take a shower here, decided to run it, and as I ran it, the water was just brown, you could see it right at the base," Gonzalez said.
He quickly started making calls, and he wasn't alone.
Granger-Hunter Improvement District says the issue was tied to a contractor working on a nearby water treatment facility and groundwater well project.
During the startup process, something went wrong and stirred up sediment in a large pipeline, causing discolored water. The problem affected residents near 2300 South and Redwood Road, as well as pockets near 4800 West and up to 3100 and 3500 South.
Officials say the water was not harmful.
Jason Helm, general manager of the Granger-Hunter Improvement District, said the situation is uncommon but acknowledged its impact when it does occur. "It's not that this happens often, but when it does, it's impactful. I don't want that to happen at my house. We don't want that to happen here," Helm said.
Gonzalez said he received no warning about the discolored water and had to navigate an on-call process while the company's offices were closed. "No notification, nothing, I need to get on the phone and find out what's going on through an on-call process, while they're closed, so that's tough, that's really tough," Gonzalez said.
Helm acknowledged the company's website can lag behind. "Our website we try to keep up on that, but sometimes it's got a day or two delay, so that's not as helpful, so we're working on that," Helm said.
Helm said the company is rolling out a system this fall that will notify customers by text or email about water issues in their area.
By Wednesday morning, Gonzalez said things were back to normal. "This used to be yellow; it's clear now," Gonzalez said.
Granger-Hunter Improvement District says customers can call during business hours, and after hours, an on-call staff member is available 24/7. If the problem is serious, staff will come out at night.
Gonzalez said reliable water service isn't something residents can go without. "I mean, we rely on it. It's a necessity. So, we need our water. If that goes out, then what do we do?" Gonzalez said.
