Last week, residents of Compton complained of murky water coming from their faucets. Although city officials say that the water is fine, its’ citizens refuse to drink it.
Residents of Compton and nearby Willowbrook have been reporting brown water from their faucets. This is the not the first time for Compton. In 2016, residents complained of the same issue. A local NBC news story interviewed, Esperanza Campos, who said that the brackish water occurs several times a year, forcing her family to bathe and wash clothes in the muddy liquid.
According to Century City News, a statement was released by the City of Compton in 2016, and applies today:
“Similar to other neighboring cities faced with brown water, the discoloration is not a health concern, and is comprised predominately of rust. The water is safe to drink and use. The City of Compton continues to test its water quality on a weekly basis. Sediment build-up can be particularly high in areas with dead-end pipes, and in neighborhoods with older cast iron mains.”
Last year, Reuters performed a special investigation on lead levels in Los County. In Compton, 1.95 percent of children that were tested showed elevated lead levels that exceeded that of Flint, Mich.
Almost 3,000 miles away, Newark, Nj. deals with lead issues, and is threatened with a lawsuit by Natural Resources Defense Council, (NRDC), the organization that sued Flint, Mich. for their water contamination, says otherwise.
