Channel Oaks II water woes persist

Residents in a subdivision with an investor-owned water system just outside Marble Falls face an unknown future as the manager of the system lacks the capital to upgrade and the contracted system operator has resigned, utility customers say.

Channel Oaks II, cur- rently under an indefinite boil water notice, has approximately 38 active water taps. The water system was developed in 1967.

Samantha Wurster has lived in her home on Taylor Street for 33 years.

“I am a single mom with three kids. I have to literally load up my kids and drive and use any spare money I have for gas and go to my parents house and wash my kids, just because the water here is not safe,” she said. “The water has been bad since my parents lived here. It has always gone out randomly.

“It will come back and it will be brown. You can’t wash your clothes in it. You can’t feel clean after a shower. You would be basically bathing in dirt.”

The community has been under a boil water notice since December due to a pump malfunction. Following a repair, a reported leak then re-acti- vated the boil water notice. The former contractor for water operations – Dripping Springs-based PGMS – resigned in January.

Residents say issues with line breaks, pressure and discolored water have persisted for several years.

Johnie Borgeson, vice president of the Channel Oaks Property Owners Association, says she has scheduled a meeting with residents today, Feb. 21 to update them about concerns regarding the subdivision’s Investor Owned Utility (IOU).

“Our water half the time is rust colored because one of the tanks needs to be repaired,” Borgeson said. “The state entities need to make sure (the water system manager) takes responsibility to get an operator and take care of the water system.”

“If they test it, it might be perfectly fine, but we cannot advise anyone to drink it because there’s a boil water notice,” Borgeson continued.

“Until it’s been tested and cleared, we’ve got the sign out, telling (residents) they have to do that.”

TCEQ is the entity which issues the boil water edict, but does not conduct the sampling and re- quires entities to contract for test samples.

“We’ve been having problems for years,” explained Borgeson, who has lived in the subdivision for 13 years. “The water has always been dirty. I’ve got to get bottle water continuously.”

The subdivision, which is assocated with nearby Channel Oaks across RR 2147 West, is in the unincorporated area of the county – in the ETA of the city of Marble Falls – between Marble Falls and Cottonwood Shores.

Channel Oaks II consists of 52.56 acres located on the north side of the high- way, overlooking Lake Marble Falls.

Mary Maxey, who has been managing the system since her father Brian Maxey’s death, explained that she has struggled to find a buyer for the sys tem. Entities including Corix have turned down the offer.

“I’ve always wanted them (residents) to have the best water,” she told The Highlander .

“I’ve done everything PGMS has recommended,” she said of the former water system operator.

Mary Maxey, explained the late Brian Maxey’s estate “owns” the water system; The infrastructure is in the name of Channel Oaks Water System LLC and is han dled through a “descendants’ trust.”

Maxey, who is one of the descendants, says she is looking for a “viable solution” which may entail a couple of landowners “volunteering” to handle “billing and operations.”

“All we need is someone to come in and do the testing, until we can get someone to buy the water system,” Maxey said. “We’ve interviewed several operators.

We need one for sure. We need someone who will pull some samples.”

Maxey explained she’s also working with PUC to sort through issues. As far as reaching out to residents she said, “I’m going to the meeting.

I want to listen.”

Both Maxey and POA members have reached out to the Public Utilities Commission, the state water regulatory board, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Property owners today say they are hard-pressed to find a schedule of well and pump upgrades from then until today.

“It’s a nightmare for all the people who live in the subdivision,” Borgeson said.

Wurster added that for several years she has felt “completely abandoned.”

“We constantly have leaks. They (the lines) break constantly. The water system here is completely uncontrolled. It is never tested properly,” Wurster continued. “Even when they tell me the water is passing, I don’t believe them at all. How can you tell me that when it’s still brown.”