Residents report brown water as consultants, city describe lake turnover and treatment steps

Barnesville residents told the City Council in July that brown, black and discolored tap water persisted in multiple neighborhoods after a lake turnover altered water chemistry at the city treatment plant. City officials and consultants said the problem stemmed from a natural turnover event that stirred sediment and caused elevated manganese and iron, and that staff have been treating the plant and flushing the distribution system.

Don North, a corporate water expert with ESG, told the Council the reservoir experienced a turnover that reduced water clarity and mobilized sediments. Project manager Heath Jarriel said the treatment plant was clearing and described steps taken — aeration and targeted flushing — to remove the elevated manganese and other material from the distribution mains. City Manager Tammy D. York said plant test results had shown the water was clear at the treatment plant, but acknowledged residents continued to report discoloration in their homes and pledged to improve public notification.

Several residents described long-standing problems. Mary Rooks of 650 Forsyth Street and others said flushing had not resolved brown water in older pipes and asked what additional investigations the City would do. A resident with new plumbing, Victoria Dadi, said discoloration predated recent house plumbing work, calling the situation “unacceptable” and urging more transparency. Others, including Randy Farley and Susan Landis, reported persistent “black gunk” and requested routine test results be made available on bills or the city website.

Water and Sewer Superintendent Jerry Moats said crews conducted flushing and that the plant is producing clear water; he reported that, the day of the meeting, staff had taken calls from only a small number of customers. Consultants explained that turnover events can shift iron and manganese from the lake bed into the water column and that those minerals can re-deposit in older distribution pipes, causing post-treatment discoloration even after plant processes normalize.

City officials said there was no active boil-water advisory at the time, and consultants explained the technical threshold for issuing an advisory — typically a detection of a pathogen or distribution-system failure — had not been met. York said the city would look at better public-notice practices and consider more frequent posting of water test data. Council did not take immediate regulatory action at the July 7 meeting; staff were directed to continue treatment, flushing and community outreach and to report back as conditions evolve.

The city’s next public update is expected after staff complete follow-up sampling and a system-wide review of problem lines and the impacts of the turnover event.