LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Town officials in Salem, Indiana say they're still flushing brown water out of their system, over one month after WHAS11 first reported the issues.
"With 90 miles of water lines within Salem’s system, yes it has taken a bit of time to fully flush," Mayor Justin Green said over email Thursday. "Efforts are ongoing with crews to finish remaining pockets. Several new sections of dated pipes have been upgraded and additional lines are scheduled in the future."
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) said in October that an old 16-inch water main with low flow was causing sediment build up within Salem Water Works' system, and that flushing pumps had been added to increase water flow.
Green did not respond Thursday when asked specifically where "dated pipes" had been upgraded and how old they were. He also didn't give any timeline when additional lines would be worked on.
"I mean it's the same for us in the community," Cody Halstead said, who has lived in Salem for over a year. "We get very generic, published statements."
Halstead said the water has been brown ever since he's lived there, and it is infuriating that city leaders continually put it on the back burner.
"We know there's an issue, and we know that it's not something that's gonna be fixed right away, but we know and expect more than what we're being told," Halstead said.
Halstead sent city leaders a formal "intent to sue" on Sept. 29, telling them that he will file a lawsuit if the city doesn't contract with a third party that has done this work in the past, and take documented steps to fix the problem. Halstead says he learned he has to provide at least 60 days notice, but he plans to wait 90 days to give the city ample time.
"If you're not gonna take the time to provide us with the simple things that we ask, then it's gonna have to come down to filing a formal lawsuit," Halstead said.
IDEM says there is no indication that the drinking water in Salem is unsafe to drink.
"There are no open violations for drinking water," IDEM spokesperson Barry Sneed said in October. "Salem is routinely monitoring for regulated contaminants and the results are currently meeting SDWA requirements."
But Halstead refuses to accept the notion that, "It's okay, it's just brown."
"We know what water is supposed to look like," he said. "If we go to buy a bottle of water from Walmart, it's clear. And the water may be safe to consume, but we don't know the long-term health effects of things."
Salem was fined almost $8,000 in August 2022 for not doing all required testing and not properly notifying residents during different time periods between late 2019 and early 2022. IDEM says Salem has been complying with that order, and is considering releasing the city soon.
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