Boulder Hill Residents Seek Help With Rusty Water
For more than a month, residents in Boulder Hill have been dealing with rusty tap water, a side effect of a broken village well. On Monday night, those residents took their case to the Village Board.
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Karol Armbruster has lived on Old Post Road in Boulder Hill for nine years, and has never had a problem with her water. But for more than a month now, she said, her tap water has tasted horrible, and smelled “like a wet dog.”
She’s bought bottled water to drink and cook with, and she’s replaced her filters and shower head. And still, she said, the rusty water coming from the shower is changing the color of her daughter’s hair.
“It’s been a major inconvenience, not to mention the expense,” she said.
Armbruster was one of eight Boulder Hill residents who took their water quality complaints to the Montgomery Village Board on Monday, but they’re definitely not the only ones experiencing it. On Nov. 19, one of the village’s wells—number 14, on the west side—failed, and since then, water has been pumped from other sources around the village to compensate.
The problem, according to Public Works Director Mike Pubentz, is that changing the direction of the water through the cast iron mains under Boulder Hill has shaken loose built-up rust. And the problem will likely continue until Well 14 is back in operation and those mains are flushed.
Boulder Hill is an unincorporated area outside the borders of Montgomery, but the village provides its water.
The village initially informed residents of the problem with a press release on Dec. 5, but Pubentz said his department didn’t know the scope of the problem until a couple weeks later, when the volume of calls picked up. To date, he said, he’s received about 70 complaint calls, and his staff has determined that the affected area stretches from Boulder Hill Pass to the north and east, and Circle Drive West to the south and west.
“It seems to be concentrated in the southwest section of the Montgomery (water) system in Boulder Hill,” Pubentz said.
The village sent out 700 letters to Boulder Hill homes late last month, explaining the problem and outlining the repair schedule for Well 14, which was initially expected to be finished in March.
However, Pubentz said, given the magnitude of the issue, he and the village's contractor, Layne Christensen, worked out a way to expedite things—the village will take a motor intended for a new well and use it to replace the broken one in Well 14, he said.
Pubentz said Well 14 could be on line again in early February. In the meantime, his staff is offering to flush specific water mains, which he said is providing only inconsistent improvement.
As for long-term solutions, he said, the village has been replacing some of the older mains in Boulder Hill, but only when they break. Going forward, he said, the village will consider water quality and the size of the main as criteria for replacement.
While it’s not a health risk, according to officials, the rust causes other significant issues. Just ask Dale Sleeman, whose shower is covered in rust stains. (The village has provided rust-removing chemicals for people to use, but Sleeman says he’s already tried them, with no effect.)
Terry Jakubowski said her family has had to replace water filters and softeners clogged with rust. And Michael Way said he has used so much water flushing out his faucets that he’s calculated his next bi-monthly bill at more than $200.
“I’m asking you to make a moral and ethical decision and give us some remedy, and some form of compensation for what we have been through these last five weeks,” Way said.
While none of the trustees discussed offering a break on the water bills for residents, that would be a decision for the board, Pubentz said.
The trustees will next meet on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for a Committee of the Whole meeting, and Pubentz has promised a full timeline and cost estimate for the repairs of Well 14. Village Manager Anne Marie Gaura also said the village will provide regular updates on the repairs on its website.
“We are working on the problem, and we hope to have a solution before too long,” Village President Marilyn Michelini told residents. “We do sympathize, and we’re trying our best, and working on it continuously.”
In This article
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Village of Montgomery
200 N River St, Montgomery, IL -
Montgomery Public Works
891 Knell St, Montgomery, IL
glen peterson
8:27 am on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
i live on Guilford and i think it's time to get people together and team up on this problem.a petition or something...let the board members live here for a month and you'll see action...glen peterson
Kathy Heiden
8:56 am on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
I was at the meeting yesterday they say there is no health risk but testing needs to be done in the homes where there is a problem.Also what about reimbursement for the extra cost of the residents.Kathy Heiden
Linda Pasetti-Olson
9:07 am on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
While attending last nights VOM board meeting, I found it very odd that while listening to Mike Pubentz’s speak, everyone the but board members, was forced to look at the back of his head. When he was asked to comment on the water quality issues, he did not go to the podium, as all other speakers on the issue were required to do, but instead he stayed seated and faced only the board. It felt dismissive and made his statements difficult to follow. Locals who take their personal time to attend a board meeting should not be treated this way, and I feel this policy ought to be changed immediately.
patricia cornele
12:14 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
I have dealt with the village before. I had a bad knocking water meter that they disassembled, put it back together, supposedly had it tested, then told me nothing was wrong with it. I asked if they mentioned it had been taken apart, and Pubentz said he forgot. But he'll get back to me. That was in October. Still nothing. They always say they'll look into it. That's their way of getting rid of you. Try to talk to the village manager; that's a real joke. She tells you to talk to someone else. Very bad treatment from the village. What I don't understand is why did they take this job working for the PEOPLE if they don't want to help us? Last night, some people were allowed to talk over 10 minutes, while 2 other people were told they were to stop talking and were dismissed. It's time to get these village people out!!! They could care less how much money you are out. They just care if they are out of the money. If they do make good on your costs, they'll probably will find a way to underhandedly take it out of the SSA taxes, or put it on the charge card that the tax payers have to pay. (like the $609 for a chicago hotel overnight)
KEVIN BROWN
2:28 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The people complain about the public works director and village manager they don't under stand why they seem to not have there best interest at heart could this be they do not have to live where they work and decide on other people's water problems and property concerns the Village Manager lives in the Village of North Aurora and Public Works Director Lives in the town of Ottawa Ill. So it will be the Residence of Montgomery and other areas who use Montgomery water to demand action if they want change.
patricia cornele
10:08 am on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Has anyone contacted the EPA about the high levels?
Sherry Winchester Schultz
12:38 pm on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
I can't offer a remedy for the well, however as a homeowner who has lived on a well with exceptionally high iron content, constantly, in Aurora Township for over 16 years, I can help you clean up the aftermath.
To clean your toilets, pour water in the bowl so that the water level is extremely low or non-existent. Use Bathroom Duck or Lysol toilet bowl cleaner--both of these products eat up the rust much better than CSL, Iron Out or other rust removing products. Use the toilet bowl cleaner on your showers--squirt it directly on the tiles and use a brush to spread it over the surface. PLEASE MAKE SURE THE ROOM IS VENTILATED & take frequent breaks as the fumes are INCREDIBLY NOXIOUS. DO NOT MIX WITH OTHER CLEANERS! I suggest just doing a small area at a time on the shower. I don't know how this works on fiberglass as all of my sinks, showers, etc are porcelain--test first.
Treating iron-colored hair: Shiny Silver Ultra Conditioning Shampoo available at Sally Beauty Supply works well to cut down on some of the brassiness that the iron leaves in the hair. I had minimal success with a Malibu product that I purchased from a salon that also helps remove brassiness. If your daughter's hair is bleached/dyed, she will have to cut the orange out as it is just too porous. We have an extra iron filter on our system which broke one summer. By the end of the summer, the ends of my hair were ORANGE. Cutting it was the only solution but the shampoo did help with maintenance.
greg Chick
3:47 pm on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Vinegar is best and cheapest to treat Iron stains.