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Aiken city manager announces third‑party review after late‑June water discoloration; residents press for answers
Summary
City officials said they will engage an outside firm to review a series of brown‑water complaints that affected service June 24–30. Residents at the July 14 Aiken City Council meeting blamed system operations, raised health concerns and offered outside expertise.
The Aiken City Manager told the City Council on July 14 that the city will engage a third‑party firm to conduct an after‑action review of discolored water complaints that occurred between June 24 and June 30.
The manager said the city has not yet determined a single root cause, citing possible contributors that residents and staff have discussed, including high demand during hot weather and ongoing plant work. “We did not meet our standards, as it relates to water service, between June 24 and June 30,” the City Manager said, and announced plans to hire an outside firm “Wednesday” to help determine the causes and recommend improvements.
Why it matters: Hundreds of residents called or posted about brown or discolored tap water in late June and early July. The city’s pledge to bring in an independent reviewer aims to identify technical failures and restore public confidence in drinking water safety.
At the meeting, engineer and resident Dr. Robert LaShear told the council he believes “water hammers” — high‑pressure shock waves in pipelines — are the primary cause of increased water main breaks and the recent brown‑water incidents. LaShear asserted the city’s public explanation that extreme demand caused the problem was inaccurate and said his offer to perform a no‑cost assessment was declined. “Water hammers are the primary reason for increasing brown water complaints in Aiken,” LaShear said during public comment.
The City Manager responded during the public‑comment exchange that the city is hiring a third‑party firm to investigate, and disputed LaShear’s characterization that officials had attributed the problem to only one cause. “We’re hiring a third party firm, and I do, you’re incorrect,” the manager said, noting the city’s earlier communications mentioned both high demand and work at the plant.
The manager also asked residents to continue reporting discolored water. The city provided a phone number for reports: (803) 642‑7629, and said online reporting remains available. The manager said the city had received no new reports in the several days immediately before the meeting.
Other public comments touched on safety and testing. Becky Phillips, a resident, suggested broader testing and welcomed a planned new water‑treatment plant. Some speakers asked whether lead service lines were known and whether water sampling points were sufficient to determine citywide safety.
What officials said they will do next: the City Manager said the outside review will be part of an after‑action review to answer outstanding technical questions and to recommend operational changes. No resolution or formal council vote to hire the firm was recorded during the meeting; the manager announced intent to engage the firm and asked customers to continue reporting water quality problems to the number above.
Public records and offers: LaShear said he filed Freedom of Information requests and that he had offered to assess the system pro bono; the manager said the city declined that offer and would proceed with a contracted third‑party review.
The council did not take immediate legislative action on water system policy at the meeting. The city manager’s remarks and public comments will inform the pending third‑party review and any later staff recommendations to council.
