OGDEN — A trickle of reports about discolored tap water dating to at least February from Ogden residents has prompted city officials to seek the help of a consultant to pinpoint what exactly may be happening.
“We recognize that there’s been more of a pattern of this happening in recent months,” said Mike McBride, spokesman for Mayor Ben Nadolski, referencing the smattering of reports of brownish, discolored water.
In response, McBride said the city has hired Confluence Engineering to help Ogden officials understand what exactly is causing the issues and that the consultant is just beginning its work. The consultant is examining city water samples, reviewing mineral levels and taking a look at the city’s water treatment practices, among other things. “They’re doing it all over the city, not just in this one spot,” McBride said.
A handful of complaints about smelly, discolored water emerged this February, and McBride said at the time it may have been a result of the city’s $99 million pipeline project. That massive, ongoing project calls for the upgrade of the 6.4-mile pipeline from the Pineview Reservoir, a key source of Ogden drinking water, through the Ogden Canyon to Ogden.
On Thursday, McBride seemed to step back from his earlier comments, suggesting that shocks to the water system caused by heavy flushing, “jarring,” may be the reason, or a reason, behind the water issues. New reports of discolored water publicly surfaced this week from Ogden residents who live near the site of a fire caused by fireworks above 9th Street and Maxwell Avenue that destroyed one home. “We can’t say that it’s directly connected to (the pipeline project), but it’s connected to jarring,” McBride said.
Natalie Holt and some other Ogden residents report brownish tap water, an issue that has spurred a handful of complaints and reports dating to February 2025. The photo shows a white towel stained after it was washed with discolored tap water at Holt’s home. (Photo: Natalie Holt)
In the case of the recent fireworks fire, the use of hydrants by firefighters and the resulting intense water flow through the adjacent neighborhood’s water network “creates some jarring in the water system, and that breaks minerals loose, which could result in discolored water,” he said. Extinguishing the fire required the assistance of 22 firefighting units.
McBride said a Weber County water customer, a water district, has been engaged in large-scale water flushing, which may also have caused jarring that loosened mineral deposits in the water system.
The reports of discolored water, however, are “isolated,” according to McBride, with most coming from homes and locations north of 12th Street. Anecdotal reports publicly emerged in February, again in May and now this week. Moreover, city officials are responsive to the reports, and the water remains drinkable. Ogden water users can report issues to the Ogden City Water Division at 801-629-8321, McBride said.
‘My toilet used to be spotless’
Whatever the case, it can be disconcerting to get brownish water flowing into your home, and Natalie Holt, one of the Ogden residents who has been contending with the issue, is fed up with the situation. She lives near the site of last Sunday’s fireworks fire but said the on-and-off issues date to January, well before the blaze.
She and her neighbors thought the issues would go away, “and finally this summer, we’re like, ‘This is never going away,'” Holt said, which prompted her to reach out to city officials for help and an explanation. She’s gotten in the habit of buying bottled water to drink, but uses the tap water to clean laundry, which can discolor her white towels. The water also stains her toilet bowl.
“There’s that light yellow tint to my toilet. … My toilet used to be spotless,” she said.
She has been in conversations on the matter with city officials, who have flushed the hydrants around her neighborhood and advised her to flush the water as well by running the various bathroom and kitchen faucets around her home. The flushing will temporarily fix the issue, but it will inevitably return. Moreover, she isn’t a fan of the water waste brought on by flushing.
Jen Bambrough, one of Holt’s neighbors, reached out to KSL.com to report the issue, saying many of her other neighbors are also contending with the same problem. “There are homes in Ogden city that haven’t had sustainable, clean water for months. The city’s resolution is flushing water hydrants every other day, which is an extreme waste of water and isn’t solving the problem. Something has to be done,” Bambrough said in a message.
Both Bambrough and Holt worry the discoloration is linked to the pipeline project, regardless of what city officials say. With the work to continue four years, it makes them fear they’ll be contending with the issue for years to come.
There may be hope, though. Kenneth Palkki, another Ogden resident, reported in May that he was getting brownish tap water. The issue, though, went away, though he’s not sure why. “Our water has been OK,” he said.
Likewise, McBride said city officials are mindful of the situation and seeking answers, for now awaiting a report from the consultant aiding them with the issue.
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