Residents of an idyllic California town are increasingly alarmed by disgusting brown tap water that’s forcing locals to get by on bottled water and skip baths.
St. Helena, a wine country community dotted with ritzy resorts, hotels and wineries, has been plagued by filthy and undrinkable tap water that’s ruining loads of laundry and disrupting daily life — as bills keep rising, residents tell local news outlets.
“I feel like we’re being poisoned,” Patrice Viera, a general manager at Inn St. Helena, told SFGate.
“We can’t get our linens washed. … It’s been an absolute challenge, no matter how much bleach you put in,” Viera added.
St. Helena city officials say its water sources, which contain high levels of iron and manganese that settle in water mains, are partly to blame.
Aging water infrastructure, including pipes that are more than 100 years old, are another factor.
Residents have reportedly complained for months about the brown and sometimes smelly tap water, but the situation worsened in after a bus plowed into a fire hydrant in July, dislodging sentiment in the pipes after more water was released to accommodate demand.
Speaking to ABC7, Ryan Crow-Enos, resident and father of an infant daughter, said the “nasty” water was so dirty it had stained the baby’s clothing an almost reddish-brown hue, some of it beyond repair.
St. Helena is trying to clear up its water with dozens of taps coming out brown for days, which stemmed from a bus that hit a fire hydrant in downtown. #sthelena #contaminatedwater #brownwater #abc7news
St. Helena’s water quality expert, Dr. Issam Najm, advised residents to avoid drinking or cooking with the water — which can get worse during the summer months, when water demand is highest, officials have said.
What’s more, residents say they’re paying more for water that is undrinkable.
Utility rates in the area spiked 183% between 2011 and 2023. despite the mounting sanitation issues, according to a Civil Grand Jury report published in June. “Between 2011-2025, St. Helena’s water rates and city taxes were raised significantly with promises to address the aging infrastructure and bring the Water Enterprise back into good working order and financial stability,” the report read.
“Instead, the water system as a whole has fallen further into decline.” Residents may receive a one-time rebate of $200 applied to their water bills, SFGate reported.
The civil grand jury blamed dysfunction and high turnover in city government for the water issues, saying a lack of leadership created an “inability to plan, oversee, and complete large infrastructure projects.”
The St. Helena water system “suffers from decades of deferred maintenance, neglect, poor decision making, and a lack of long-term operational and financial planning – mostly due to the overall lack of effective governance and the failure of City Council leadership,” the report stated.
City officials unveiled proposals last week to fix the aging water system, which includes pipes that are more than 100 years old.
An overhaul of the system could cost upwards of $50 million to $60 million, KTVU reported, and fully “clearing” the water system may take years.
“I’m just getting really tired of it. So, instead of waiting until fall to start flushing pipes, what are you guys doing tomorrow?” resident Elon McIlroy told the TV station.
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