FLORESVILLE, Texas – Forty-five homes in a Floresville, Texas subdivision depend on a well for water, but they tell KSAT that for about two years now, the water quality has them afraid for their health.
The well is in the Arrowhead subdivision and has been owned by Central States Water Resources (CSWR) since 2020.
Neighbors like Carrie Wilcoxson said the frequent brown water in their homes began in early 2021.
Wilcoxson said when her water is not discolored, it smells like chlorine.
“I’m the first house off the well. It’s so strong that you cannot breathe it, let alone drink it. I have asthma, and it’s just too much,” she said.
Wilcoxson said there are no boiled water notices when the discoloration happens.
“The water company is saying, ‘It may seem unpleasant, but it’s safe to drink.’ I don’t care what they’re saying. This water is not safe to drink. That sediment is rusting our hot water heaters, and it’s galvanizing to other metals. So how can it be safe for our stomachs?” Wilcoxson said.
When KSAT visited Wilcoxson, she’d already flushed out her bathtub, but the water still ran slightly brownish green.
“Somewhere around 20 to 25 gallons have already been flushed. And that’s the best it gets,” she said. “This is the best it’s been in several years.”
It was the same green-brown tint in the sink and even the toilet, which had yellow stains due to the sediment.
“I cleaned this right before you came,” Wilcoxson said, showing the toilet. “It’s staining the porcelain. So who’s reimbursing us for that?”
Wilcoxson also wanted to know who was going to pay for the endless packs of water bottles she said she was forced to buy every week.
“Two a week, easily,” she said, pointing at her counter filled with water bottles.
It’s not just Wilcoxson worried about drinking the water, even when it’s clear.
“Everybody in this neighborhood is having to buy bottled water. So who’s paying for this?” Wilcoxson said.
“We got to the point where we just couldn’t afford to keep up with the bottled water,” said another resident, Jason Knighton.
Jason and his wife Brandi Knighton have six children, including a 1-year-old daughter.
They believe it’s more cost-efficient and safe to have a whole-house filtration system, and theirs isn’t cheap.
“This is how the filter starts,” Jason Knighton said, holding up a stark white filter. “These filters should last at least six months and up to a year, but we are changing our filters now at least once a month.”
In Jason Knighton’s garage, he held the new filter up to the one that had only been used for three and a half weeks, which was a deep red-brown color that looked just like rust.
“I feel disgusted. That if I didn’t have this system, my water would look worse than that. When my kids are bathing or when we’re showering, what we’re drinking, what we’re cooking with. How do you feel clean with that? That’s the water going into your house,” Jason Knighton said.
Jason Knighton said once the filter fills up and turns dark like that, the water in the house gets brown again.
“Trying to give my under 1-year-old a bath at this moment, and the water is just brown. And this is after the water had been running for 25 minutes,” Jason Knighton said, showing a picture of his baby’s bath seat and toys surrounded by brown water.
However, what sent Jason and Brandi Knighton over the edge happened about a month ago.
They, along with everyone in the neighborhood, received a letter on Sept. 25 from CSWR saying that the water in the well tested positive for E. coli.
The letter said, “E. coli bacteria were found in the water supply on Sept. 21, 2024. These bacteria can make you sick and are a particular concern for infants, young children, and people with weakened immune systems.”
It then mentioned corrective action, saying, “The results will likely be completed around mid-day Sept. 24, 2024.”
The letter evoked panic in Brandi Knighton, who had young children who had recently felt sick.
“I call the company, and I ask them, ‘What is going on? Do I boil my water? Is this safe for them to drink? And nobody can answer me. Even in speaking to the supervisor, she couldn’t tell me if my water was safe for consumption for my six children,” Brandi Knighton said.
“The letterhead also stated that they would test the well in three days and they would let us know what the results were. And it took them nearly a month to get those results back to us,” Brandi Knighton said.
Arrowhead Community Clarification by Spencer Heath on Scribd
On Oct. 14, CSWR sent out what they told KSAT was a community clarification notice, saying the water is “safe and free from any harmful contaminants.”
The notice also said in part, “We sampled the source water at the groundwater well — this is water before it undergoes our treatment and disinfection process. Following the detection of the presence of E. coli at the well, the well was disinfected and resampled. CSWR-Texas provided public notice to customers, as required by TCEQ.”
“They knew for days before telling us, and it took weeks for that next letter,” Wilcoxson said.
That’s when the Knightons joined others in the neighborhood in asking CSWR more questions, many of which the staff members said they couldn’t answer.
“Does our well have a filtration system on it? If it does or it doesn’t, just tell us. Versus ‘I’m not at liberty to disclose.’ That sounds like you’re hiding something,” Jason Knighton said. " Is our water safe to drink? The levels of our water. What is restriction, or what are state guidelines? And are they following that? They just can’t answer those questions.”
Jason Knighton said his father-in-law had asked to see water quality reports for years now but has still not received any.
The neighbors created a private Facebook group years ago, where they now update each other on their water quality.
“Four days ago, we took a poll of whose water smelled like strong chlorine. Here, it shows 16 people, which is about 70% of the neighborhood,” Wilcoxon said, showing the page on her phone.
However, it’s not just about the safety aspect. The bills are also front and center of the neighborhood’s frustration.
“CSWR bought the well in 2020. Back in 2021, we started to see brown water and highly chlorinated water frequently. And yet, in 2022, the water company CSDR applied to increase their rates. A lot of us showed up to protest that application for increased rates. It increased it by 100%. So not only did our rates go up, but the quality of water never improved,” Wilcoxson said.
“Our bill went up. And so you think maybe the quality of your water is going to go up or add filtration, and it hasn’t. So our bills gone up, but our water has gotten worse,” Brandi Knighton said.
Wednesday, KSAT reached out to CSWR-Texas about the water quality issues, and they quickly responded, saying in part:
“All disinfection equipment at the Arrowhead water system is fully operational and running effectively. Our team is onsite multiple times per week. We are assessing potential solutions such as installing automatic flushers, which would reduce the need for residents to manually flush their lines at their own expense.”
Press Statement - Arrowhead 10.30.24 by Spencer Heath on Scribd
The statement did not address a well-filtration system or water bottle expenses.
Wilcoxson has now extended multiple complaints. One was to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Wednesday, TCEQ responded to KSAT, confirming they are in the middle of an investigation, saying, “The TCEQ San Antonio region received a complaint on Sept. 19, 2024, concerning sediment and discolored water with a strong chlorine smell. An investigation is ongoing, and additional information will be available upon finalization of the investigation report.”
Wilcoxson is also in contact with State Senator Judith Zaffrini, who she said is helping come up with possible long-term solutions.
Wilcoxson also has a case filed with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office and is waiting to hear back.