A Trinidad water tower pictured, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Trinidad, Texas.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
TRINIDAD – Steven Stearman Jr. was settling into a bath last month when the 6-year-old suddenly screamed for his mother. Felicia Stearman bolted into the bathroom to see the once-clear water pouring out of the faucet shift to a dark red stream, an unfortunate but common occurrence for the household.
The family moved here three years ago, excited to relocate into the home the boy’s father, Steven Stearman Sr., built himself. That excitement quickly faded when the family discovered the house’s water would periodically be discolored, forcing them to pivot to wet-wipe baths.
Trinidad has long had problems with its water, according to residents of this city of 860 people about 70 miles southeast of Dallas. Every few weeks, they say, water ranging in color from amber to espresso brown to rust red flows out of the spigots. They say it holds particles and sediment, and leaves gritty residue as it swirls down drains. At times there is no water at all.
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“Sometimes it comes out yellow… then other times it’ll come in and it’s red, straight red,” Steven Stearman said. “If you’ve ever driven over from Texas to Oklahoma, the Red River, that’s what it looks like.”
A photo of a Trinidad resident’s water, taken by Emmily Stearman.
Courtesy of Emmily Stearman
The issue gained renewed attention earlier this year after an area resident was arrested by the city’s police department following a social media post highlighting the water problems, sparking a lawsuit against the city.
Public anger boiled over at a recent City Council meeting, as dozens of residents clamored for answers and clean water. Though the council voted to invest in water quality measurement tools and establish a water infrastructure advisory committee, residents say it is only the beginning.
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The trouble with Trinidad’s water
Although residents say the problem has been occurring for years, experts point to the city’s recent disinfectant conversion as a possible reason for the recent escalation in water issues.
The city changed the disinfectant used in its public water system from chloramine to free chlorine from April 27 to May 30, according to the city’s Facebook. The change was made to help cleanse the pipes of any bacteria, according to a flyer posted by the city.
The city flushes its pipes every few weeks to address the colored water, but that only temporarily fixes it, residents said.
“No person in their right mind would think it would be safe to drink,” said Emmily Stearman, Steven Stearman’s sister-in-law and the mother of a Trinidad resident whose house is also impacted by discolored water. “This has been an ongoing issue and a constant, ongoing battle, and the whole situation’s heartbreaking, inconvenient, and not safe.”
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Trinidad resident David Logan addresses council members during public comment of a Trinidad city council meeting, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Trinidad, Texas.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Mario Wriedt, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at University of Texas at Dallas, said the discolored water could be due to manganese or iron oxides released during cleanups. He said short-term use of the water is not harmful, but long-term use could be dangerous if excessive chloride is in the water.
Sydney Evans is a senior science analyst for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit that compiles public information on water systems such as Trinidad’s into a page on its website.
“When I hear about drinking water issues where there is visually an issue, or there is a taste, or there is an odor, to me that’s a red flag,” she said.
The water issue has attracted the attention of the state. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which oversees public water systems in the state, said it is conducting two separate investigations into Trinidad’s water. The investigations, which started on April 20 and May 15, were initiated due to multiple complaints from Trinidad residents, according to TCEQ. A spokesman declined to comment further about the investigations.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declined to comment about whether it is investigating the water issues in Trinidad.
A truck drives along Texas State Highway 31 past a Trinidad city limit sign, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Trinidad, Texas.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
‘People were scared to speak up’
Jennifer Combs, who lives in the neighboring city of Kerens and refers to herself as a “citizen journalist,” said she started posting on Facebook about the water when her friend who lives in Trinidad came to her house to shower every day. In an April 6 post, she urged residents to message her with information about the water so she could report it to the state.
The Trinidad Police Department arrested her April 28, charging her with felony false report for warning Trinidad residents about the water, and Combs spent a night in jail, according to her arrest affidavit. A Henderson County grand jury later declined to indict Combs. She filed a lawsuit on June 16 against the city over her arrest.
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“Every time that they [residents] would complain or make a post, they were shut down and basically bullied until they’d be quiet about it,” Combs said. “We just want the water fixed.”
Residents said Combs’ arrest sparked fear and action.
“People were scared to speak up before, and it’s because of what happened to Jennifer Combs,” Steven Stearman said. “Now a lot of people have the courage to speak up. They’re mad, they’re fed up and they definitely do not trust the current city council.”
The Trinidad Police Department, the City Council and the city administrator declined numerous interview requests, citing the ongoing litigation.
Kerns resident Jennifer Combs (center) listens to public comment during a Trinidad city council meeting, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Trinidad, Texas.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
What’s next for Trinidad?
Neighbors Jonathan Bowman, 52, and Steven Haynes, 65, are part owners of several downtown Trinidad businesses: a car wash and two restaurants, the Whistlestop and Pizza 31. Because of the water problems, they use jugs of water to cook food and have installed water filtration systems in the car wash and restaurants, adding to their weekly expenses, Haynes said.
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The two hosted their own meeting of city residents earlier this month, proposing the city should have a new provider take over, and ultimately upgrade the system.
“What we’re asking them to do is take the problem seriously, do the homework, and then execute a plan that addresses this” quickly, Bowman said.
At its June 18 meeting, the City Council voted to update the water plant by buying turbidity and chlorine meters, both used to measure water quality. Mayor Dennis Haws also said the council would consider providing water filtration systems for Trinidad restaurants.
“We want to give assurance to the people who are going to our restaurants and stuff that they are getting good clean water,” Haws said at the meeting.
The council also voted to create a water infrastructure advisory committee led by Pat Jones with CLW Water Group, a wastewater infrastructure contracting company. Jones said the committee will hire an engineer to assess the upgrades needed to improve the city’s water infrastructure, then help acquire grants to fund the improvements.
“We all know that our system needs attention,” Jones said. “These problems didn’t happen overnight. It’s going to take some time. It’s going to take some time to fix it, but we have to start now.”