CLARINDA, Iowa (KMTV) — Neighbors in Clarinda faced a double blow this week when water main breaks left them without water for several hours, compounding problems from an existing boil order.
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The water crisis began last week when algae from the Nodaway River contaminated the city's water treatment system, prompting officials to issue a boil order.
"And we were almost through that process and then Monday morning, I get a phone call from the city manager that we have two water main breaks in the community and possibly a third," said Mayor Craig Hill.
Just as the city was working to resolve the algae issue, two water main breaks — and eventually two more — occurred, forcing officials to shut off water service entirely for part of the day.
Water Superintendent Colt Glidden said dry conditions contributed to the pipe failures.
"We had a bit of a perfect storm yesterday," Glidden said.
The water outages have hit residents hard and many are purchasing water.
"On a fixed income, water's not cheap. I mean, that's just it. Water ain't cheap and not all of us can afford it," said resident Tracy White.
"We are an older community at this point, so we have a lot of people on fixed incomes," Hill said.
Some residents remain skeptical about the water quality even after service was restored. Eddie Stuart said he doesn't trust boiling the tap water yet.
"I probably spent about $450 so far on just packs of water," Stuart said.
The crisis highlights broader infrastructure challenges facing small Iowa communities.
"The infrastructure in our community is old. There's no doubt about it," Hill said.
The city is almost done paying off it's 20-year-old water treatment plant and it recently built a new wastewater treatment facility. Hill says the cost of replacing all of Clarinda's pipes could be as much as $50 million, which is why the pipes will be replaced gradually for now.
Water quality issues are becoming more common across Iowa.
"Then you saw all the nitrates in Des Moines," Glidden said. "The water quality is changing state-wide. There's no argument against it. It's getting harder for small communities to treat water."
Water service has been restored to Clarinda, but the boil order remains in effect until at least the end of the week as officials work to ensure the water is safe for consumption.
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