Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren asked the Environmental Protection Agency to look into discolored water coming out of faucets in one town after people living in the area reported pale yellow to dark brown water.
"It looks like sewage pouring from our faucets," said Norton homeowner Penny Heida.
Some homeowners in Norton say their water looks discolored several days a week.
"It comes out looking like iced tea, coffee, root beer and if you let the bottle actually settle you can see the sediment form basically an inch barrier at the bottom," said Norton mother Lauren DoVale.
A mother of four kids, DoVale has been keeping samples of the water, which range from yellow to dark brown.
"Anybody can look at this and see this isn’t safe to drink, it’s ruining our tubs, our dishwashers, what is it doing to our bodies?" she said.
"I don’t put the kids in the shower because they’re not getting any cleaner than they were a minute ago," said resident Tony Falciano.
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These residents say the town has repeatedly told them it’s due to ongoing flushing of the town’s water main and hydrants and that the water meets health standards.
"They always say ‘it’s flushing, we’re flushing,’ but that’s a bunch of baloney because they’re not flushing all the time," said DoVale.
Sen. Warren’s office is calling on the EPA to investigate whether the water does in fact meet health standards.
"I urge you to interact with the town of Norton, Massachusetts and the Commonwealth to ensure that the water does indeed meet health standards, and further provide assistance in confidently determining the exact cause of the discoloration," the Democrat wrote. "Additionally, I urge EPA to work with town officials to aid the Town of Norton and the Commonwealth in mitigating this discoloration issue. The residents of Norton deserve nothing short of absolute confidence in the quality of their drinking water."
As Heida fills her bathtub with yellow water, she says she’s skeptical anything will change after years of discolored water.
"It’s frightening, it’s scary, I don’t feed my dogs the water here," said Heida.
