Neighbors in a Van Zandt county community say their faucets are running brown and have been for weeks. The city of Edgewood maintains its water is safe but multiple residents told NBC 5 they’re still afraid to drink it or to even use it to clean or bathe. “Washing has kind of been an issu e because it does stain clothes, our laundry, so I’ve done that a little differently. We don’t drink it. I don’t cook with it, definitely don’t bathe in it,” said Jennifer McVea. One street over, Jacob Rabe’s bathtub faucet ran even darker Tuesday afternoon. “With it like this, I mean we don’t use the water for anything. You know? And you can smell it. It smells like lake water, like murky, muddy lake water,” said Rabe. Photos shared by neighbors show similar scenes in other homes across various days over the last month. They include murky water filling toilet bowls and bathtubs. One shows a pool pump covered in sludge. “Go ask anybody. I’ll say, what’s your toilet look like? And they’re like, it’s a brown mess,” said Gary Nelson. The city of Edgewood acknowledged the problem in a Facebook post last month, blaming the discoloration on manganese oxidizing with chlorine during the treatment process. In a statement sent to NBC 5 Tuesday, the city said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found elevated levels of manganese during an investigation. It advised the city to introduce zinc phosphate while adjusting other chemicals to balance pH levels. The statement added: “Water plant operators continue to monitor and flush the distribution lines daily. Based on these measures, the city expects water clarity to continue improving, with the issue anticipated to be resolved this week.” According to the city, state mandated testing shows the water is safe to bathe in and consume. Still, McVea said she’s not taking chances relying on bottled water even for filling her dogs’ bowls. “We’re not living way back when. You know, this is 2026. We should have, and we pay for, clean drinking water or clean water and we should have it,” she said. ...read more read less