SPRING BRANCH, Texas – UPDATE at 8 p.m. 8/26: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told KSAT it is investigating the discolored water in the Spring Branch area.
“An on-site investigation was conducted on August 14, 2025. The investigation is currently ongoing and additional information will be available upon approval of the report,” TCEQ said.
The Texas Water Company told KSAT, in part, “all primary health-related parameters, including color, chromium, copper, dissolved iron, and total iron, are within EPA and TCEQ limits.”
KSAT has followed up with TCEQ to verify the Texas Water Company’s statement but had not received a response as of Tuesday night.
ORIGINAL: Some Spring Branch residents say their tap water has been discolored for nearly a month, with shades ranging from yellow to brown. Despite the murky appearance, residents remain frustrated as officials say the water is safe to drink.
Residents in neighborhoods such as the Preserve at Singing Hills and the Crossing at Spring Creek describe the water as anything but normal.
Cathy Ulmer, a concerned resident, said she was alarmed the first time she saw the water.
“I thought maybe there was a break in the line or dirt got into it or something,” Ulmer said. “Then I started thinking, is it just touching our skin? Is that going to cause rashes?”
At times, residents said the water coming from the tap has been completely brown.
The Texas Water Company services both neighborhoods. In response to complaints, the company sent an email to residents stating, “There are no safety concerns for the water at this time. The discoloration is primarily due to iron and manganese, naturally occurring minerals found in groundwater and surface water. We are assessing additional treatments to isolate iron and manganese, which may help reduce discoloration.”
While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not classify iron or manganese as dangerous in small amounts, long-term exposure to higher levels — especially of manganese — can pose health risks, particularly for infants.
The EPA’s health advisory limit for manganese is 0.3 milligrams per liter for adults and 0.1 milligrams per liter for infants, due to potential neurological effects.
Residents remain skeptical.
“When your water company says (cup of tap water) is safe to drink, would pose the question to them — would they drink that?” asked KSAT’s John Paul Barajas.
“My wife did pose that question to them, and there really wasn’t a response; they skirted the question,” resident Daniel Bellah said.
Many residents are now relying on bottled water and limiting their use of tap water for bathing.
“How do we know if they’re testing how much (minerals) there?” Bellah asked. “If the color fluctuates from day to day, how do we know their testing doesn’t fluctuate, too?”
The cause of the iron and manganese discoloration remains unclear. Some residents wonder whether it could be related to the lingering effects of recent Hill Country flooding, although that has not been confirmed.
In the meantime, families in the area said they are sticking with bottled water and keeping showers short.
KSAT has reached out to the Texas Water Company, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority for more information about water testing and quality in the area.
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