Wellton residents concerned over water quality
WELLTON, Ariz. (KYMA) - Wellton, a town of about 3,000 residents, is under the microscope after its water system recently violated a drinking water standard.
Locals in Wellton don’t trust the tap water. Instead, they’re using these water filling stations.
Valerie Petry has been a Wellton resident for seven years. She’s currently a manager at an RV park in Wellton, where she says people don’t trust the tap water.
“None of us have drunk the water here. In fact, we don’t even use it to water our plants. I’ve lost three palms using the bad water,” Petry said.
The residents of Wellton have been dealing with water quality concerns for some time now. But most recently, the concerns have been amplified after a drinking water system violated a standard.
The town’s water had too much TTHM, which stands for total trihalomethanes. These are chemical byproducts that can form when disinfectants used to treat water react with natural materials in the water.
A notice sent to residents revealed the level was above the legal limit.
Petry says she relies on water filling kiosks because she doesn’t want to risk it.
“When I first moved here, it actually smelled like chlorine so bad that I didn’t want to take the chance,” Petry said.
The town of Wellton said in the notice that the water is safe to drink for now, and residents do not need to boil it.
We reached out to Wellton town officials for an on-camera interview, but they denied our request and responded through a written statement saying in part:
“The TTHM issue was inherited by the previous administration. Since town manager Richard Marsh joined the town in 2022, improving the water treatment system has been a top organizational priority.”
We also asked if the town’s water is safe for drinking. They said, “According to the ADQ and the EPA, elevated TTHM do not constitute an emergency.”
And, “Alternate drinking water remains available to all town utility customers at designated distribution locations.”
For now, the locals in Wellton are resorting to safer water quality options and are hopeful that water quality will improve.
