Residents Complain Nebraska Water Is 'Sticky'

Residents of a small Nebraska city say an upgrade to their water treatment plant has left their water feeling pretty strange.

“Sticky stuff. It’s sticky,” a restaurant manager told WOWT 6 News.

“Even when I wash [items] by hand, once they dry they're still all gross,” one resident said.

The problems arose after the city spent $85,000 for a new auger motor and made upgrades to a mixing bowl. Failure to replace the auger motor could have resulted in high iron levels.

During the upgrades, the treatment plant left lime out of the water purification process, but lime was added back into the mix last week, according to the city’s Facebook page. Lime is important for treating water hardness.

Constructing a new motor for the plant was a lengthy process. The new one is expected to last two decades.

“A drive had to be fabricated because they don’t make this unit anymore. It was ordered in September and delivered in December,” City Administrator Erv Portis told The Plattsmouth Journal.

Plant upgrades included major construction work.

“A hole had to be cut in the plant’s wall to take the old drive out and put the new one in. Other aspects of the upgrades included sandblasting the basin walls and troughs, repainting them and cleaning up. Some of the tie rods and turn buckles were also replaced,” the report said.

Portis, the city administrator, worked to reassure residents about the safety of the water.

"Water chemistry is safe. It’s just hard water, it’s iron and manganese. Yes, you can drink it,” Portis said, per WOWT 6 News. The city also sent employees out to individual homes to offer cleaning tips. In particular: do not use bleach, which can make matters worse.

The water is adding a gunky texture to appliances.

“Customers say their frustration can't be flushed away. Toilet water looks clear at first, but in about half an hour to 45 minutes it will start to change color back to the iron tint. It’s what's left on sinks tubs and shower floors that make cleaning hard. The city's Facebook has cleaning solutions like iron out for laundry and distilled vinegar for dish washing,” the report said.

For some residents, that message was welcome.

“So what you are telling me is that after paying my monthly bill that now I have to go to the store and I have to spend money to buy product to clean your problem,” one person said.

The U.S. Geological Survey describes the problem of water hardness: “Hardness is caused by compounds of calcium and magnesium, and by a variety of other metals. General guidelines for classification of waters are: 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate is classified as soft; 61 to 120 mg/L as moderately hard; 121 to 180 mg/L as hard; and more than 180 mg/L as very hard.”