End to Mentone's Water Woes May Be Near

by Jacqueline Sit, NewsWest 9, March 13, 2007

Mentone, Texas - They've never had water safe enough to drink but now all that is about to change in Mentone.

Jacqueline Sit traveled to Loving County to find out how the change is going to make life a whole lot easier.

The water is so bad, the Smiths' had to drive half-an-hour, twice-a-week to Pecos to get their water supply just for their daily needs.

"Just like Ex-Lax," says long time Mentone resident Delores Smith.

You heard right. She said Ex-Lax. Delores Smith is not talking about the medicine.

She's talking about her 'water'.

"The water smells, I can turn on that faucet over there and it smells like gas and oil a lot of time," says Smith.

This is where they get the water from their well house but the mineral deposit is so heavy, they need this carbon filtration system and even then...you still can't drink the water.

"It's hard. I can't even use my dishwasher because like I said awhile ago it's like washing in buttermilk and they don't look good," says Smith.

And that's the least of her overflowing problem.

The water is so tough; you can see the deposit collected in and outside of this sink, forcing the smiths' to change their plumbing every two years.

But soon, that's all about to change thanks to a half-a-million-dollar state grant. Loving County Judge Skeet Jones says the town's dream is coming true.

"It's God-sent, this has been a dream for the people in the town of Mentone, to turn on their tap and have water they can drink," says Loving County Judge Skeet Jones.

In three months, when the Smiths travel to another town, it won't be because they have any water woes to worry about.

"I guess it'll keep your commodes clean. Honestly I need a chisel to clean my commode the water is so bad, it's cruddy," says Smith.

The project is expected to be finished by the end of June.
amberburrows1981
Dear NewsWest 9,
The story was GREAT! I was so happy to see our town in the news.
It will be so wonderful to finally have good drinking water in our community.
I really appreciate the time that was taken to travel WAY out to our neck of the woods to capture our story!

Jacqueline Sit, thank you. You did fantastic work! ;)

Delores Smith, Kennith Smith and Skeet Jones!!!! YOU LOOKED GREAT ~ and I AM proud of YOU!!!!

Sincerely,
Amber Burrows