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Dearborn Heights residents worry over water being discolored for weeks

Posted at 5:44 PM, Jun 21, 2016
and last updated 2021-01-14 15:59:27-05

Flint water fears are looming here in Metro Detroit after residents in one neighborhood say they've been dealing with discolored water for about a month.

Some families in Dearborn Heights say their water has been brown for weeks. They have been living off of bottled water - and have serious concerns.

"Flint pops into my head... yellow water... it's scary," says Andrea Pagli, a worried Dearborn Heights mom. She says they have been buying bottled water and her dogs have been drinking water from a Brita filter. She also says she takes her daughter to a friend's house and has not bathed her daughter in her own house in two-weeks.

She says it's been happening for weeks and she's been trying to get answers. She says she has been contacting the city numerous times. She's not the only one living on North Gulley who fears for her family's health. There are others that say they are showering by using boiled water.

When we went to the neighborhood today - the water didn't appear to be discolored.

We went straight to the city - and within minutes sent out a crew to the neighborhood to flush the line.

They tell us they are aware of the problem and have gotten complaints from other people in the neighborhood.
They say they're in the middle of a water main project, upgrading pipes on Beech Daly - just a few blocks away. They also say that the water is not harmful and it is just mineral deposit; it just gives discoloration and odor in the water.

One thing we are told you should avoid doing when the water is discolored, is your laundry because it could stain your clothes.

"Understand everyone is concerned about their water now, but we test our water every quarterly basis... tests come back good every time," says Sean Moylan, Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Department.

DPW tells us the work in the area is expected to last another two to three weeks. They recommend running your cold water for about 10-15 minutes if you see any discoloring, and if that doesn't work, call them and make a complaint so they can send a crew out to flush out the pipes. Again, they say the water is harmless.