HOLBROOK – Residents of two Massachusetts communities are dealing with discolored water coming out of their pipes and they said it is the latest problem in a years-long effort to get clean water.
Thick, muddy water
When John Davis woke up Tuesday morning in Holbrook, he saw thick, muddy water flowing from his tap. After a quick check of social media, it didn’t take long for him to discover that most of his neighbors were dealing with the same thing.
“It was just black mud water coming out of the tap,” Davis said. “I had some friends who did their laundry. They ruined their laundry, they bleached in the sink.”
Davis has lived in Holbrook all his life and said Tuesday’s dirty water debacle was just the latest in a years-long effort to get clean drinking water. For the past two years, Davis has been filling jugs with clean well water every week because the stuff coming out of his tap contains high levels of PFAS, or “forever chemicals.” Davis said the city has advised residents not to cook with tap water or drink it.
New purification plant
The city is working on a solution to the problem by developing a so-called Tri-Town Water Treatment Plant from Braintree. The city of Holbrook said Tuesday’s muddy water is the result of Monday evening work on the project.
In a statement, the Holbrook Public Works Department said:
“The Water Department is actively working to address the issue and appreciates your understanding during this time. In addition, significant work was completed Monday evening on a major water transmission line that supplies the Holbrook water distribution system from the Randolph/Holbrook Joint Water Treatment Plant. This work includes the installation of two major intersections that will soon connect to new transmission lines from the Tri-Town Water Treatment Plant under construction in Braintree.
The statement went on to say that the new factory should be completed by January 2026. They added that if someone’s water was still discolored on Wednesday evening, the system should be flushed by running the bath or shower.
The neighboring city of Randolph also reported discolored water as a result of the construction.
