FW family wants dirty water fix

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A Fort Wayne family has been trying to figure out why their tap water is often filthy.

Chris Kuntz lives in Deerfield Estates in Southwest Allen County.

During the past two years, he’s seen murky water and dirt particles flow from all of the water faucets inside his home.

“I'm just really concerned about the water quality here,” Kuntz said. “For the amount that we pay, we should be getting a really good product and we're not.”

Bill Etzler, Aqua Indiana vice president, said the company is in the process of softening its water.

He said this has forced iron sediments inside the old underground pipes to loosen.

“Part of the problem is when we're flushing [the pipes] in neighborhoods, we're stirring up all of that sediment that's built-up in the pipes over time and it causes brown water,” Etzler said.

Kuntz said his tap water often looks like river water.

“It just looks really bad. It's got a nice dark brown tint to it,” he said.

Out of frustration, Kuntz said he created a video showcasing his water woes and posted it on YouTube .

So what can Chris and his neighbors in Southwest Allen County do to fix the problem?

“If they turn their faucets on and let it run for a while, generally that discoloration goes away almost immediately,” Etzler said.

Aqua Indiana said the discoloration should go away after running the water for about four minutes.

The company has plans to continue flushing its pipes through next spring and believes this will solve much of the problem.