Salty water flowing through pipes in Portland

For several decades, residents of Fairy Hill and sections of Drapers in eastern Portland have complained about salty water flowing through their pipes.

Derrick Hylton, a spokesperson for the residents at Fairy Hill, argued that the NWC has not been aggressive enough in getting the matter resolved. He said that the issue of salty water in people’s pipes dates back to the 1980s.

“They have known about this problem for probably more than 40 years, and they just sit back and continue to collect our money. We are paying for salt water that we don’t need. If we need salt water, we can go down by the sea, which is close by. They have no regard for us; and they are selfish and uncaring,” Hylton said.

In addition to Fairy Hill and Drapers, the communities of Boston, San San, Zion Hill, Sherwood Forest, and a section of Priestman’s River are said to be affected by the salt water flowing through pipes.

Meanwhile, Richard Williams, NWC parish manager for Portland, said the water company is aware of the issue and efforts are being made to have it addressed.

“They are supplied from the Fairy Hill well, and there seems to be some saline intrusion. It has been happening for years and we are trying to identify a new site [and] to abandon that one,” said Williams.

“We are trying to put in a new well at a different location, so as to eliminate that. We had identified about three [wells], and we did one last year, up by Islington, but we didn’t find any water. We spent a considerable amount of money, but we didn’t find any water. So we are looking at the others now,” he added.

Williams sought to give assurance that the water is safe for drinking. He said that frequent testing is done to ensure that the water quality is safe for human consumption.