Cheney addressing brown water issues

Cheney crews are working to alleviate several cases of brown, stinky water emerging from residents water faucets.

Public Works Director Todd Ableman told the City Council at its May 14 meeting they received 11 calls Tuesday morning from residents experiencing brown water coming from their faucts. The annual occurence is a result of iron elements found in the city’s system that enter the water after being stirred up.

Ableman said early hot weather last weekend caused the city’s irrigation pumps to turn on, which created a disturbance in the system and added the iron. Most of the pumps turning on are on State Route 904 west of the city, which led to most of the brown water calls coming from the Salnave area.

Ableman said iron is not a substance the city tests for and is not hazardous to health.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.