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Plainville resident seeks help for 'black sludge' drinking water

Aquarion Water says hard water in a known problem in Plainville and a fix is in the works

PLAINVILLE, Conn. — Water woes continue for Connecticut residents. Following the story FOX61 brought you about brown water in Bristol, now there are reports of black sludge in Plainville.

FOX61 got a call from a condo owner at the Sheltering Ponds Condominiums in Plainville. A unit owner says she has had water quality issues since 2017.

“The black sludge is taking over everything,” explained Tracy Yopp.

Tracy says the main problem with her water is this grayish-black buildup. “It looks like something from a horror movie,” described Yopp. She says the sludge is clogging her pipes, corroding her fixtures and chewing up her appliances. She can’t even use one of her showers and was forced to buy a new washing machine. “I’m on a fixed income. I am on SSI. I can only do so much. So I’m at a dead end. They are passing the buck. Somebody take responsibility and fix the water,” said Yopp.

In addition to the financial burden, Yopp believes her health issues are connected. “Now I have to get a prescription from the dermatologist. And my hair used to be thick. It’s not anymore. It’s thin, paper thin.”

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An outside company tested her water and found a “large amount of manganese” and a water hardness level of “20 grains per gallon.” Anything over 10 is considered extreme hardness caused by too much calcium and magnesium. “I pay a water bill. I pay Aquarion for this,” exclaimed Yopp.

Credit: FOX61


Aquarion Water told FOX61 water hardness isn’t regulated and says hard water doesn’t mean unsafe water.

“Without a doubt we are doing water samples in Plainville multiple times a month,” said Peter Fazekas, the Director of Corporate Communications for Aquarion Water.

Aquarion said they are currently building a massive water-softening plant on nearby Woodford Avenue that will use salt to treat the problem. “Normally you would find a water softening system installed in the home. But this is a large system that’s designed to treat the whole system. Probably one of the largest in New England,” explained Fazekas.

Supply chain issues have proved challenging, but they are on track to open the treatment plant in July, Aquarion told FOX61. Until then, FOX61 put Aquarion in touch with Tracy Yopp. 

Peter Fazekas assured FOX61 they would follow up and see if flushing her water main might help. As for any reimbursements of her damaged and destroyed appliances and fixtures, Aquarion would only say they would look into her case.

According to Aquarion, water hardness is a known issue in Plainville and they’ve had plans to rectify it since 2021 when the company acquired water distribution from Valley Water.

Matt Scott is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mscott@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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