Brown water in Vinita? City says it's safe, residents aren’t so sure

Vinita residents report brown, discolored tap water—city assures safety and states improvement in conditions.

Friday, July 11th 2025, 5:07 pm

By: Ethan Wright


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For several days this week, Vinita residents have taken to Facebook to report brown, discolored water flowing from their faucets. The City of Vinita says the water remains safe to drink—despite its appearance—and that the system is now improving.

“It looked like tea”

Longtime resident Travis Pipenbrok says he’s used to the occasional discoloration. But this time felt different.

“Over the last year… It’s probably been every other month. This is the worst one,” Pipenbrok said. “We had to go buy water. Didn’t shower for a couple of days.”

He shared a photo of his tap water online, which he described as looking “like straight tea.”

Another homeowner, Krissa Manners, said she noticed issues with the water within weeks of buying her home in February. She says her chickens and ducks had brown water, and she now uses bottled water for her entire household.

“It’s bad when I don’t even know if it’s good water to let my animals have,” she said. “I used to drink the tap water. I don’t anymore.”

What the city says happened

In a Facebook post, the City of Vinita explained that on Monday night, July 7, a sudden influx of manganese entered the city’s water system from Grand Lake, the city’s water source. That manganese reacted with chlorine in the treatment process, causing brown discoloration in the treated water.

The city says it identified and corrected the problem quickly, and that “testing confirms the water is safe to drink.” However, about 2 million gallons of discolored water were already moving through the distribution system.

In an email to News On 6, City Administrator Brian Prince wrote:

“We are seeing significant improvement throughout our distribution system… Our crews are actively monitoring and managing the system to ensure water quality continues to improve.”

Crews flushing lines, consultants brought in

To address the issue, city crews have been flushing fire hydrants around town, and Vinita brought in an independent water consultant to oversee remediation. According to the city, the consultant confirmed the safety of the water and supported the city’s response plan.

While water clarity is reportedly improving, the city acknowledges the appearance was “unacceptable” and is continuing to monitor the system closely.

Residents still uneasy

Even with the city’s reassurance, some residents say the problem cost them time, money, and trust.

“It may not be on the city side of the bill,” Manners said, “but financially, in the pocket, it is my bill. Because now bottled water has to be bought.”

Still having issues?

Vinita residents who are still seeing water discoloration are encouraged to fill out the official complaint form posted on the City of Vinita’s website.

Ethan Wright

Ethan Wright graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a minor in Communication Studies from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Ethan joined the News On 6 team as a multimedia journalist in January 2025.

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