Pittsburgh-area community has not had clean drinking water in months
BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) — People living in a Butler County community lost access to clean drinking water months ago and the fix is still several months away.
Take a drive through Mandell Trails and you'll see cases of bottled water on just about every porch. It's not a luxury. It's the only option.
"We're not allowed to drink it," resident Harvey Houtz said. "We can't boil it. And we are only getting a few little cases of water a week and that's not doing us any justice
Residents started sending KDKA-TV pictures of water that looked more like tomato soup. Father of two Harvey Houtz first started getting letters months ago that said, "Do not consume the water."
A letter dated Aug. 24 said, "We anticipate resolving the problem by September 14, 2023." Months later, the water is still not drinkable.
Houtz said he's not asking for much here.
"I'm asking for good drinking water, is what I want, so we don't have to get all this bottled water," Houtz said.
KDKA Investigates learned UMH Properties, a public equity real estate investment trust out of New Jersey, bought the 65-acre community in May of last year for $7.4 million.
The first letters about the water went out to residents in mid-July, saying a July 14 inspection of the community's water treatment plant revealed the water's a "risk to public health."
Next, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection got involved and now a letter to residents said UHM's going to tie into the public water utility, the municipal authority of Adams Township.
"It's my home, it's paid for," Houtz said. "I don't owe anything on it. I like it here, it's peaceful. It's just the water."
KDKA Investigates confirmed Adams Township will extend one line and allow the tie-in by January, but it will take a few months after that to build out the infrastructure to bring the water into the 130-plus homes.
KDKA-TV's Meghan Schiller: "Do you have any hope at least, a glimmer of hope, that this could be a problem of the past eventually if you just hold on a little longer?"
Houtz: "I'm going to try and see what happens. If it gets any worse of anything like that, if we can't get a bath in it and we can't wash clothes in the washing machine in it, there ain't no other choice but to leave."
A spokesperson for Mandell Trails told KDKA-TV in a statement that:
"The process to switch from well water to town water at Mandell Trails is underway. Bottled water deliveries are made weekly to each resident and more is supplied as requested."
The most recent financial filings from the company show the income for this last quarter is up more than $4 million over this time last year. So, the residents said that since profits are up, hopefully, they'll be able to grab a drink of water from their sink one day soon.
