The first thing on some Morgan County residents’ grocery lists has been water. Many refuse to drink the tap water.
“I am encouraging everyone…anyone to buy your bottled water. Don’t forget to get your water,” says Teresa Satchel.
A recent study has found water in Morgan and Lawrence County to be dangerous due to chemicals and heavy metals. Locals are stocking on water cases before they’re gone.
“The water in the faucets is bad for you. It’s dangerous and I went to the store this morning. I went ahead and bought me three cases of 35,” says a resident.
She does not let her children or grandchildren drink it.
“I take my medicine out the bottle and everything. I just don’t use the faucet water anymore,” she says.
So what about when you’re cooking?
“Well I haven’t thought about it much lately when I was cooking, because I figured the boiling would kill anything, but lately I’ve been using my bottle water,” she adds.
One resident tells me she’s always used a water filter, because she just doesn’t trust West Morgan East Lawrence Water Authority water.
“I just rather not drink the water because of the plants dumping their chemicals in the water,” says Jean Sandlin.
This possible contamination has caused a lot of fear in the community. Some won’t even shower without using filtered water
“I have leftover water that the kids are leaving and not drinking at all, and I am encouraging them to bathe in the water… don’t pour it out and brush your teeth in it,” she says.
West Morgan East Lawrence Water Authority issued a statement saying that they produce clean and efficient water. They said, “In October 2016 a carbon filtration system was put in place to help the agency meet federal health advisories on PFCs. That system is still in place. At this time all state and federal regulatory requirements and federal health advisories are being met. Testing for PFCs are ongoing and results are placed on customer’s bills.”
However, many aren’t trusting that.
Decatur Utilities also issued the following statement regarding its water quality:
