Edmonson residents post brown, discolored county water to Facebook

Edmonson County Water District says no advisory needed unless problem worsens

BROWNSVILLE, Ky. – Across Edmonson County, residents post pictures of brown bed sheets, discolored bathtubs and faucets: evidence of brown county water. The question “Why is my water brown,” is circulating across  Edmonson’s social media.

Edmonson County Water District says this brown water is the result of a domino effect: a chain reaction beginning back in June.

Working chronologically, the water district says when the Army Corps of Engineers removed Green River Lock and Dam 5 this summer, the river’s water levels dropped upwards of 70 percent.

So, fast forward to October 15th. When the Army Corps conducted its annual discharge of Nolan River Lake and Green River Lake, the lake waters flowed into the extremely low river level….stirring up sediment and sludge.

ECWD Treatment Plant Superintendent Tim Brewster said, “When they did start discharging, in the course of three hours the water got really, really bad to the point that we’ve never seen it that bad before.”

That exact Green River water is what supplies Edmonson County’s Water District water plant.

Brewster said it was, “Almost like a tidal wave coming down from the lakes. It was just a sludge of bad water that was pretty much untreatable.”

ECWD General Manager Tony Sanders added, “[Compared to] the level in the water that we normally see, this is six to seven feet lower at our intake than normal.”

The county water district says there is no need for a boiled water advisory at this time.

The officials say they are treating the water with two times the chlorine dosage, upping it from 2.0 Milligrams per Liter to 4.0 mg/L, along with adding carbon and other chemicals for taste.

The officials also say they believe the water will clear in a day or two thanks to both the chemical treatments and thanks to crews out flushing the lines all across the county.

Edmonson County Water District says they need to know where the trouble spots are to flush the lines in your area, so they encourage you to keep calling their office to report your brown water. You can contact the ECWD here.