- Residents in Valley express growing frustration over discolored water, which has forced many to discard home appliances, with some relying on bottled water and alternative sources for clean water.
- The city attributes the water issues to an "excessive strain" on the water supply caused by disruptions in the pipe lining and is implementing temporary water restrictions.
- City Administrator Cameron Gales discussed plans to replace old water lines.
Neighbors in Valley are wondering what it will take to get clean water. KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree spoke to residents who said they’ve had to throw out water, filtration systems, clothes, and even washing machines due to brown sludge coming from their faucets.
Watch Hannah's story:
"I can't bathe my child for longer than five minutes without worrying something's going to happen," Jackey Coffey said.
Brown water has been flowing through the city's water supply on and off for more than two years. Neighbor Tyler Curtis says conditions have been especially bad this May.
"It's been the talk of the town for weeks now, and realistically, in town proper, it's been a topic for years. We've had these issues for years at this point, and this is just kind of coming to a head. It's getting worse, not better," Curtis said.
He’s not alone in his concerns. Coffey, who owns a cottage bakery, told me she can’t use the water in her home to make her baked goods. Instead, she’s been driving to her mother’s house in Omaha to get clean water.
"I’ve tried every cleaner, and it’s just stained because that’s what our water looks like now," she said.
She told me this isn’t the worst it’s been.
She continued, "I don't trust my faucets for baking, and as far as washing my clothes, it's ruined so many clothes, and I’ve had to buy new clothes for my son multiple times."
The city of Valley has been flushing hydrants to alleviate this issue, but the town is now on a temporary water restriction. The city says the discoloration is due to an “excessive strain” on the water supply.
"It's the lining of the pipes, and as you know, the water flow changes. It disrupts the iron and manganese within the water lines, which leads to discolored water," said City Administrator Cameron Gales.
Unlike typical water restrictions, Gales said this one is not to conserve water, but instead to temporarily restrict the flow.
"We're having water restrictions to slow down the flow of water, and so our water resriction, restrictions are just in place to make sure we don't have too much flow in our water lines. That because that's been one of the fingerprinted causes of the disruption in our water lines has been the excessive flow," said Gales.
KMTV asked Galed about long-term solutions.
"We've been working with NDEE (Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy) and some, you know, other government agencies on, you know, trying to secure funding. We have one line going in this summer; one of our oldest lines will be replaced, which should help. Over the next few years, as we replace streets, we want to replace more lines," he said.
Neighbor Cole Willibiy Hanson expressed skepticism, saying this feels like a band-aid solution.
“We want answers! We want it done! We want all this nonsense stopped!” said Hanson.
Curtis emphasized that the city needs to recognize the financial burden this situation has placed on Valley families.
"You have to either buy a whole-home filter system or take the easy route and just drink bottled water. We have pets and everyone else that relies on this. It's just a huge added cost on top of just trying to live in 2025, which is already expensive," he said.
The water restrictions are expected to last one to two weeks. In the meantime, neighbors affected by the discolored water can pick up a case of bottled water from the Valley Police Department if needed.
Gales said the city is applying for more grants to replace the remaining mains in Valley.
