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<\/p>\nTyler Croft started having water problems right away after he and his wife moved to the Austin\u2019s Colony neighborhood in far East Austin two years ago.<\/p>\n
First, it was the dishwasher. Cups and plates came out caked in white residue. Then, they noticed the taste; it was chalky and bitter. Once, while grabbing a glass of water, Croft turned on the tap and it came out brown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the first sign that we knew we had to get something installed,\u201d Croft said.<\/p>\n
He installed a water softener system under the kitchen sink. Then, after he noticed his skin was getting dry and his newborn daughter started developing eczema, he put filters on the showerheads. Next came a bigger water softener system out in the garage.<\/p>\n
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Lorianne Willett<\/p>\n
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KUT News<\/p>\n
A reverse osmosis water system sits below the kitchen sink in Tyler Croft\u2019s home in Hornsby Bend.<\/p>\n
All told, Croft said he\u2019s spent about $5,000 on softener and filtration systems to make the water in his home \u201cacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s on top of the cost of the water itself.<\/p>\n
Water issues in the neighborhood have persisted for decades. Residents have long complained of bad tastes, ruined appliances and high water bills. <\/p>\n
People in the Austin\u2019s Colony neighborhood are outside of the service area for Austin Water. Instead, they are served by a for-profit company called Texas Water Utilities (TWU). The company serves small pockets across 32 counties in Texas \u2014 neighborhoods similar to Austin\u2019s Colony that are just outside a city\u2019s service area.<\/p>\n
Before turning on the tap, the company charges Austin\u2019s Colony residents a $59.39 base fee for water \u2014 more than seven times the cost of Austin Water\u2019s base fee \u2014 and a $79.19 base fee for sewer services.<\/p>\n
Croft showed KUT News his water bill from February. The total came out to $221.79. The cost of the water he actually used was less than $40.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Lorianne Willett<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
KUT News<\/p>\n
Tyler Croft\u2019s water bill sits on his kitchen table at his home in Hornsby Bend.<\/p>\n
‘Ask about the water before you buy here’ <\/p>\n
A few months ago, a resident put up an 8-by-4-foot sign near the neighborhood entrance on Webberville Road to warn newcomers. In big block letters, it reads: \u201cASK ABOUT THE WATER BEFORE YOU BUY HERE.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard Hilaman said he wished he knew about the neighborhood’s water quality issues before renting a house down the street from the Croft’s. <\/p>\n
He can’t use his dishwasher, either. For him, it\u2019s a drying rack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe water is so bad here,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you try to wash dishes they come out looking dirty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hilaman said his hot water heater \u201cgurgles\u201d when he takes a shower. He said his landlord told him he\u2019s had to replace at least three water heaters at his properties.<\/p>\n
A few houses down from Hilaman, big, blue plastic water jugs line the walkway to Lin Ling\u2019s front door. He speaks Chinese, but he told KUT News through a translation app that those jugs are his drinking water. He said he doesn’t drink the tap water after noticing yellow-ish substances in it.<\/p>\n
The effects of hard water <\/p>\n
The water flowing from the taps in Austin\u2019s Colony comes from a local well, plus water pumped from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer<\/a>.<\/p>\n The dry skin, funny taste and the white residue on dishes is likely caused by hard water \u2014 water with high concentrations of minerals like magnesium and calcium that can cause plumbing issues and appliance failures.<\/p>\n People in the Austin\u2019s Colony area have dealt with hard water for decades, but since there are no known adverse health risks, hard water is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.<\/p>\n
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