Dirty water spurs Compton water district dissolution

Rob Hayes Image
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Dirty water spurs water district dissolution
As residents of Compton and Willowbrook deal with brown tap water, an effort is underway to replace the Sativa Water District.

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- In certain parts of Compton and Willowbrook, residents say they never know whether their tap water will come out clear, murky or dark brown.

"This actually came from inside the faucets from our own house," said Lucia Camacho holding a small bottle filled with brown water. "It grosses me out to even bathe in it."

But elected officials say residents may soon see clean tap water.

The Local Agency Formation Commission this week voted to start the process of dissolving the Sativa Water District which provides the water in question to roughly 1,600 households.

"That's the first step in bringing these people some relief and some clean, safe water," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who is a board member of LAFCO.

The board voted 5-0 to start the process of replacing Sativa with a new water provider.

"LAFCO has been looking at this issue since 2005 and I think we thought we've given them enough second chances," Hahn said.