Van Bibber Lake residents concerned over brown, sandy water

GREENCASTLE, Ind. (WISH) — For some people living along Van Bibber Lake in Putnam County, the simple act of turning on a faucet can be cause for concern.

Becky Taylor has lived on the lake for the last nine years. She says she’s had issues with her water the entire time.

“I get gravel, I get sand, I get rocks,” Taylor said. “Sometimes, when I give the girls a bath, I’m not sure if should just go give them a bath in the lake.”

Tim Vandagrifft, board chairman of the Van Bibber Lake Conservancy District, places the blame on the local water system.

Vandagrifft says the water treatment plant is old and overwhelmed, and that’s why residents like Taylor are having issues with their water.

“It’s at the end of it’s lifetime, and to tell you the truth, it’s hard to keep it running because it’s so old,” Vandagrifft said. “But we think it’s got at least two years left in it, which would give us enough time to build a new water plant.”

Vandagrifft says they just received an $8 million grant from the state to build a new water treatment facility and install new water lines, but Taylor says she’s been hearing similar stories for years.

“So, I got another three years of $130 a month times 12. I mean, I’m not gonna add it up. I think people can get the gist of how much I’m going to spend over the next three years for nasty water,” Taylor said.

Vandagrifft says the water is tested every month as required by the state. News 8 looked at the most recent test, which showed no contaminants in the water.

“What it is is, it’s an iron bacteria,” Vandagrifft said. “It’s actually, for the most part, harmless.”

Taylor says she doesn’t care what the tests say because she sees her water every day.

“They give us these reports all the time, ‘Oh the water’s good, the water’s good.’ No, it’s not; they can tell me all day long. No, it’s not,” Taylor said. “When I can see the stuff coming out of my faucet and it’s brown and I can see the junk coming out of my faucet and it’s clogging our lines, your water is not good.”