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Aug 22, 2023

Mabton residents clamor for solutions to drinking water problems at crowded meeting

RFA/Latino Community and Lower Valley Reporter Mabton mayor Rachel Ruelas, left, talks to more than 100 people gathered in front of Mabton City Hall who showed up for the city council meeting because

RFA/Latino Community and Lower Valley Reporter

Mabton mayor Rachel Ruelas, left, talks to more than 100 people gathered in front of Mabton City Hall who showed up for the city council meeting because they are unhappy with their water bills and the quality of the city’s water Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Mabton, Wash. Ruelas told the crowd not everyone would be able to come in.

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The more than 100 people who crowded Mabton City Hall Tuesday all demanded an answer to the same question: What is wrong with the community's tap water?

Many residents said the city’s water has had a foul, rotten-egg smell for weeks. Many are now buying bottled water from stores in neighboring towns. The Lower Yakima Valley city has about 1,900 residents.

At Tuesday’s city council meeting, city officials brought in experts to answer questions, address solutions and explain that the water is not hazardous. Restrictions on the size of the public audience in city council chambers and the lack of Spanish language services left some residents frustrated after a two-hour meeting.

The meeting lacked decorum at times, as residents asked questions out of turn and discussions erupted between the mayor, city officials and the audience in the council’s chambers. One person was asked to leave after speaking out of turn several times at the beginning of the meeting.

More than 100 people were waiting outside Mabton’s city hall on the corner of North and First Street at 7 p.m. to attend the city council meeting. Before that meeting started, Mabton Police Chief Eduardo Garcia said only 20 audience members would be let in at a time because of fire safety concerns, drawing complaints from gathered residents.

Mabton Mayor Rachel Ruelas tells people the water problem in Mabton isn’t her fault during the city council meeting’s public comment period Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Mabton, Wash.

The meeting got underway just after 7 p.m.

“Tonight, the citizens will be getting their answers,” Mayor Rachel Ruelas said.

Bennett Osborne, a private contractor for Valley Water Services and system operator for Mabton’s city water, and Jamin Ankney, an engineer who works with the city through Gray & Osborne, discussed the water issues.

People who couldn’t get in to the Mabton city council meeting listen through a window Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Mabton, Wash.

Osborne is certified to manage municipal water systems and works with Mabton’s public works staff to keep the city in compliance with state and federal health regulations.

He has been contracted with the city for the last year and a half, is paid $750 a month for his work and manages around 200 other group A water systems in the state, he said.

Osborne said he first learned of the taste and odor issues on July 13 after a complaint to the Yakima Health District. He said those issues did not pose health risks and there has been no sign of contamination.

“We have found no evidence of contamination at any of the taps we have tested,” Osborne said. “There are certain types of treatments we can do to solve taste and odor problems. Remember, taste and odor problems are not hazardous.”

Water is normally tested every two weeks for dangerous bacteria, Osborne said. He added that no reason for the smell had been found.

“If we could find what was wrong, it would be a lot easier,” he said, later saying: “There’s no easy fix. You can’t just put in a filter, you can’t just put in a reverse osmosis unit, you can’t just put something in the water.”

Officials at the state Department of Health previously said hydrogen sulfide gas in Mabton’s Well 5 was causing the rotten-egg smell. Osborne said testing had not shown any hydrogen sulfide, but that the human nose was more sensitive than the instruments he had.

Hydrogen sulfide has no health effects in water, DOH officials said.

Osborne did identify a source of the foul-smelling water. Mabton has three operating wells, called Well 4, 5 and 6. Well 5, Osborne said, produces five times as much water as the other two and is where the worst-smelling water is coming from.

Normally, Osborne said, water from Well 5 is treated by aeration. Water is splashed to separate smelly gas and giant fans on the top of the city’s reservoir blow some of it away.

During period of high water usage, like hot summer months, more water comes from Well 5. High usage means the aeration process cannot keep up, Osborne said.

After hearing of the complaint, Osborne said public works staff took steps to solve the problem. They flushed the city’s pipes, increased chlorination and shut off Well 5.

Those actions had their own consequences – increased chlorine created other odor issues and shutting off Well 5 reduced water pressure.

Osborne offered two more short term solutions. He said the community members could reduce their water usage. One resident, Marina Mendoza, said she was concerned that decreased water usage could affect residents’ yards and property values.

Osborne also said public works staff have also put calcium hypochlorite in the wells to treat water before it comes to the surface to address the issues. He suggested a long term solution of drilling more wells and using more aquifers.

Ankney is an engineer and project manager with Gray and Osborne, the engineering firm that works with the city on infrastructure projects. He said two new wells – Wells 7 and 8 – are already in the works. Drilling will begin next month.

The wells will be 155 feet deep and access a new aquifer with water rights the city acquired in 2017, Ankney said. Those wells will give the city a larger water source and, potentially, help address the taste and odor issue.

“(The wells) will likely allow some dilution and help solve some taste and odor issues,” Ankney said.

Engineer Jamin Ankney talks about potential solutions and funding to fix Mabton’s water problem at the city council meeting Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Mabton, Wash.

In an interview on July 21, Ankney said the new wells could help, but it was difficult to predict. Hydrogeographic analysis indicated the wells might provide around 200 gallons per minute each, about as much as Wells 4 and 6.

“Well drilling is somewhat unknown … It is one of the riskier things a city can do because we don’t know what’s under the ground,” Ankney said in that interview. “Until they’re drilled and up and running, we won’t have a better idea.”

Ankney added that the wells would not be completed and ready until late 2024 or early 2025, depending on the availability of equipment and parts.

After Ankney and Osborne’s presentation, residents stood up for public comment. Many had questions about city staffing in the public works department and the information Osborne shared.

Many wanted a solution.

There was no certified interpreter at the meeting and many residents spoke Spanish. Some community members served as volunteer translators inside and outside the building.

More than 100 people upset at the quality of water in Mabton gather on the lawn in front of Mabton City Hall before the start of the city council meeting Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Mabton, Wash.

Community member Esperanza Aviles called for a larger meeting with a certified interpreter so residents could voice their opinions and get their questions answered. She said some residents did not have the technology to access the information online.

Ruelas said she had not anticipated the large crowd and the city council meeting had to stay in the council’s chambers so it could be streamed online.

“I wasn’t expecting that many people here tonight. If I’d known, I would have set something up outside,” Ruelas said.

Ruelas emphasized repeatedly that this issue is not new and is not her fault. Residents said the problem has been ongoing for decades – one told the Yakima Herald-Republic she has used bottled water for 25 years.

“Do I like it? No. Do I want to fix it? Yes,” Ruelas said. “There’s nothing I can do because it’s been going on for 20-plus years.”

Jasper Kenzo Sundeen's reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the Yakima Valley Community Fund. For information on republishing, email [email protected].

RFA/Latino Community and Lower Valley Reporter

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