West Point residents are being told not to drink the city's water. On Wednesday, the State Health Department said West Point's water is unsafe because of high levels of manganese. Residents have been complaining about bad tasting and smelling water for over a year.
Some residents were furious it took the city so long to notice, but others were taken by complete surprise. West Point Councilwoman Emma Stokely told 6 News the city had the test results two months ago, but at the time they didn’t realize the water had dangerously high levels of manganese in it. High doses of the mineral can cause issues for the central nervous system.
"Yeah those results were there, but again, I'm not a water expert. I didn't realize that levels that high meant that nobody should be drinking the water. And it's unfortunate that it now takes two months for that notice to come out. And that's something we can't take back, but I wish that we could," Stokely says.
The city has posted a warning notification on their website, social media, and they’re mailing out flyers, but Stokely says it’s not enough.
“I think really where we’re lacking is with communication, making our citizens aware of what’s happening. I know a lot of people are asking about supplying water,” said Stokely.
The Mayor of West Point says they don’t have plans to supply bottled water, but Hughes thinks they should be.