Fort Myers neighborhood dealing with brown tap water

The Fort Myers City Council is discussing water quality issues in the city after several homeowners said brown water is coming out of their tap.

Neighbors in the McGregor Reserve area took their complaints to the council, who will talk about the problem at Monday’s meeting.

One of those voicing concerns over the tea-colored water is Paige Cooper, who won’t bathe her daughter in it because of her daughter’s skin issues. She purchased a filtration system in hopes of solving the problem, but that didn’t work.

“When I saw the filter and the plumber said this is not your pipes, these are the city pipes … I immediately thought of Flint, Michigan. That’s what I thought. This is … this is awful. I mean when you really start to think about how much water impacts everything that you do,” Cooper said.

Down the street, Steve Greenfeld said he has the same murky water in his house.

“It is dreadfully apparent how filthy and rust-colored the water was.”

And still is. Greenfeld said the city flushed the hydrants until they were clear, but 15 days later, the color came back – and it happens off and on.

“On the bill, it says ready to serve, and that water is not ready to serve … it’s dangerous. It’s toxic. And I want the pipes replaced. That’s really ultimately what we want,” Cooper said.

“This is a community issue, this is not a Steve Greenfield issue. This is not a Paige Cooper issue. This is a City of Fort Myers issue,” Greenfeld said.

Cooper and Greenfeld said they will be attending Monday’s meeting.