Residents: Water starting to return to normal in Pittsville

PITTSVILLE, Md. – After living with discolored and foul-smelling water for nearly three months, residents in Pittsville say their problems are beginning to turn crystal clear.

“For a while it was dark yellow and then it went back to light yellow. We had a lot of issues with a chlorine smell in it for a while. I didn’t really feel like we were clean after showering in it,” said Sarah Ash.

After the town teamed up with environmental officials to address the issue, residents say their water is finally returning to normal.

“Our water has cleared up it’s been clear for a couple of weeks now. We still have a faint chlorine smell but it’s definitely been kind of fading as the weeks go on,” Ash said.

Town Manager Joe Mangini tells 47 ABC that it was a lot of trial and error when it came to figuring out how to get the town’s water clear again.

“Usually it’s just tweaking this or tweaking that and it works. That wasn’t happening here so it took a while,” said Mangini.

Now, he says the town is working on laying out a three step plan to make sure problems like this never happen again.

“We’re going to make sure and ensure that everything stays good for as long as we can make it,” said Mangini.

Mangini says first on his list is to give a mini upgrade to the town’s water plant to make sure it remains as functional as possible. He also tells 47 ABC that he hopes to replace the current water meters in the town that are almost 30 years old, and get a brand new water treatment plant.

“Down the road we’re going to have to start considering a brand new water treatment plant. There’s no doubt about that and that’s a five year process.”

And while there’s still a lot more work to be done Mangini says this is just the first step in making sure the town of Pittsville remains a quality place for families to live. Town officials add that since the water is in better condition, they will no longer be handing out bottled water to residents.