‘We don’t want to drink this water:’ Brown tap water frustrates Bowie residents

Families in Bowie, Maryland are fed up with having discolored water.

Residents who have been dealing with the discolored water say it has been a problem on and off for years — but lately, it seems to be getting worse.

Water directly from the tap at Patricia Westerhuis’s home looks almost like a glass of beer.

“Bowie deserves better” Westerhuis said. “Clean water is something that should not be… It’s a non-negotiable.”

In a video taken by Bowie resident Sal Giglio, the tap water slowly fills a white bowl with yellow-tinted water as he calls it “ridiculous.”

“It’s awful, Giglio told News4. “It ruins your clothes. They tell us it’s safe to drink it, even though it has sediments in it. I can’t give that to my 14-year-old dogs. I have to give them bottled water.”

Residents want the city to fix the problem.

“We cook with it, we bathe in it, Giglio said. “Even my tub is stained, like, yellow, and we have to buy all of these cleaners to make it look clean. It makes us look dirty.”

According to the Bowie website, the city has aging cast iron pipes. Sediment builds up in the lines, and when it’s agitated from a hydrant flushing or water main breaks, tiny iron particles can be released, making the water appear brown.

Eventually, it clears, the website says. It also says that it may not look appealing, but it is safe to drink.

“We don’t want to drink this water,” Giglio said. “We don’t want to cook with this water. We don’t want to ruin our clothes with this water. And we pay good money for this water.”

The city declined News4’s request for an on-camera interview, but did provide information about what it is doing. It won’t be a quick fix to the pipes, the city said.

The repairs would take millions of dollars over the next 20 years.

The acting city manager told News4 the city has already rehabbed more than seven miles of water mains over the last five years, and another 12 miles will be fixed over the next five.

The full 90 miles in the system will take two decades.

Last fall, the city issued more than $9 million in bonds for work on water and sewer infrastructure, and customers are paying an additional fee for the project.

“If we do a good trip to costco, lasts about two weeks,”

Residents stock up on bottled water, but they say more needs to be done to get the pipes fixed sooner. They want to know when they’ll get clear water from the tap for good.

“Even if their plan is stretched out 10, 15, 20 years, at least let the residents know what the plan is,” Westerhuis said.

“I will help,” Giglio said. “Let’s get these pipes fixed.”

Starting the week of April 6, the city of Bowie will be flushing hydrants, which will help to clear sediment. The city also offers rebates to help residents buy whole house water filtration systems.