A resident in Edmundson Acres, a community northeast of Arvin, was shocked to see murky water come out of her water faucet on November 17th. Residents in Edmundson Acres report murky water from faucets, particularly Maria De La Cruz on November 17th. Arvin Community Service District attributes the issue to a power outage causing pressure fluctuations in pipelines. Sediment from groundwater systems was disturbed, leading to dirty water issues. Multiple fire hydrant flushings were conducted, but the problem persisted due to a shut-off valve creating sediment buildup. The district plans to build a new well to improve water pressure and potentially enhance water quality.For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:This was the water that came out of a resident's home in Edmundson Acres, a neighborhood northeast of Arvin, on November 17th. As I found out, water quality is an on-going issue in Arvin. I questioned the water district about what was being done to clean up the water.On November 12th, 2024, this was the water that came out of Maria De La Cruz's faucet as she attempted to wash her hands."I went into the water office and I let them know that the water was dirty and I wanted someone to come and test the water," said De La Cruz.However, she says the Arvin Community Service District was dismissive of her request."The reason for not testing that water is because that's not the supplied water we're providing to the city," said Arvin Community Service District General Manager Raul Barraza Jr. "Obviously for us, it's a key indication that there's a problem and we have to take care of the problem first."According to Barraza Jr. with Arvin CSD, back in November, Arvin had a power outage causing the pressure inside the pipelines to fluctuate."What happens in those situations is you get this moving around of water inside the pipes at high pressure and it moves the sediments that typically you find in groundwater systems," explained Barraza Jr.At the time, Barraza Jr. says the district followed protocol and flushed the fire hydrants in the area.However, five days later, on November 17th, De La Cruz says the issue persisted and that the color of the water became even darker, so she sent a sample for testing at Simple Lab."I got the results a few weeks later, and it tested high for arsenic, double the legal limit," said De La Cruz.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the maximum containment level for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion, but the results indicated that the water coming out of her faucet on November 17th contained 20 parts per billion.As the problem persisted, Barraza Jr. says they continued to flush the fire hydrants in the area as well as De La Cruz's water heater.Days later, he says they discovered a valve that was shut off and screwed on, which ultimately created a dead end and leading the water to sit with sediment and minerals in that area."We had calls from other folks as well regarding pressure and some coloration, but not as bad as what she was getting in her house and it has to do with the fact that she was closest to that area where we did have that stagnant water," said Barraza Jr.De La Cruz says she wants the district to be more transparent and alert the community when the water is contaminated."There's a lot of people who cook and drink this water and if you do not put it in the container, you really can't tell the water is all that dirty if you're not paying attention to it," said De La Cruz.The district adds that they are working on building an additional well on the north side of town that will help maintain the water pressure consistent throughout the entire city. It's yet to be determined if that will make the water any cleaner for Arvin residents.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less