MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Saraland residents have raised concerns over brown water in their homes.
On the morning of Dec. 17, some residents woke up to brown colored water coming out of their faucet, shower and toilets.
According to two employees at a local business in Saraland, when they got into work this morning, the water looked like mud.
"It just seems really gross," one employee said. "Especially for a business where we use a lot of water. It's hard to tell if our job's getting done correct."
Saraland Fire Chief Jeff Ludlam told me today's water discoloration happened while firefighters were going through promotional training.
He said when crews arrived at a parking lot off Saraland Boulevard to start training, they noticed something was wrong.
"A lot of mud, sediment, different types of debris started coming out of that hydrant," Ludlam said. "We immediately called the Water Board, who we were not able to initially get in contact with. So, we went ahead and flushed that hydrant because there's absolutely no way we could hook that hydrant to our trucks."
The high-pressure water flow apparently caused sediment to dislodge from water mains, mixing with clean water, then flowing into homes and businesses in the area.
Ludlam said while they always flush fire hydrants before using them to protect the fire truck pumps, the Water Board is responsible for the up-keeping, maintenance and flushing of these hydrants.
The chief told me based on the amount of debris that came out of it, it appeared the hydrant had not been flushed recently.
While we have an explanation for today's brown water. residents told me this issue is not new.
According to Jourdyn Glaude, a video she recorded in April shows brown water flowing out of the shower, sink and toilet. She told me she was very concerned to put herself and even her child in the water.
"I wasn't thinking at the time, and I ran the washing machine wash some sheets, and I thought something got left in there and I was like this stuff is also staining sheets clothes, ruining stuff," Glaude said. "You just don't know what's in there."
Results from one resident's water that was tested in October by Culligan Water showed the company detected noticeable levels of iron, dirt and sediment. They said this causes build up on the inside of the pipes and can eventually cause problems.
Water Board Member Scooter Thronson told me they flush hydrants on a routine schedule and they are working to take care of this ongoing concern.