Magnolia residence say murky water has haunted them for years

MAGNOLIA, Texas (KTRK) -- For years, residents in the Lakes of Magnolia neighborhood say they've had discolored water, and now they say water bills are doubling.

"We've been in the neighborhood for about five years, and really, since we moved into the neighborhood, the water's been really murky," resident Jason Clarkson said.

In photos sent to ABC13, the water ranges from cloudy to fully opaque. Residents all over the Lake of Magnolia neighborhood said they have the same problem.

"It was brown. The first night we moved here, we drew the kids a bath, and it was brown and muddy water," resident Jane McCourt said.

It's not just dirty water haunting this neighborhood anymore, either.

"I got a call about two weeks ago, and they said we noticed you had a large increase in water usage, which we haven't," McCourt said.

Multiple people said their water bills are up, anywhere from a few dollars to several hundred. People tell us they've tried to stand up for themselves but don't feel like they're getting much help from the water provider, NextEra Water.

"They told us we had to spend $10,000 or $20,000 on a tank to put on our, under the ground," McCourt said.

Most have resorted to their own fixes, installing expensive filtration systems, buying water, and paying their monthly bills.

"We kind of just started using filtered water because you didn't want to use sink water," Clarkson said.

NextEra Water told ABC13 they are aware of the billing problem and are working to resolve it. We also reached out for comment on the murky water and are waiting to hear back.

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