THOMAS — Some residents are upset about discolored water issues in Thomas, and are asking for more information from city officials.

Residents have been complaining about discolored or “brown” water in Thomas for the past month.

On Tuesday afternoon, a City of Thomas representative told The Inter-Mountain that a boil water advisory is still in effect for the town, and that the city is still giving away free bottled water at City Hall.

The next Thomas City Council meeting is Aug. 13, but the representative said no agenda for the meeting has yet been assembled.

The Inter-Mountain has invited city council members to comment about the situation or provide information, but none had returned a phone call or sent an email by press time.

On Friday, Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for all 55 West Virginia counties due to drought conditions.

“Periods of drought can lead to inadequate water supply, threatening the health, safety, and welfare of communities,” states the National Integrated Drought Information System’s web site, Drought.gov, which also points out that 1.7 million West Virginia residents are currently in areas of drought, an increase of 15.1% since last week.

Drought.gov also states that June 2024 was the 12th driest June on record since 1895, with just 2.67 inches of total precipitation, a decrease of 1.70 inches from the normal rate.

A Thomas resident, Stephanie Cussins, asked on social media if “City of Thomas WV water … (was) ever safe to drink then in 2021? I wonder how it would test now?”

Cussins’ post linked to information from water tests in 2021, provided by the Office of Environmental Health Services, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database.  The information stated that “tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards” in 2021, but also included 10 contaminants which exceeded the Environmental Working Group’s EWG Health Guidelines.

Other residents have begun sharing their frustration about the water situation online.

“I’m curious why I haven’t heard an answer so far” about the Thomas water issues, Benjamin Nelson posted. “One might think there would be one available in clear written form. What I know is there is a boil notice posted a few places and the water is brown and smells a little sulfer.”

Dave Ruediger posed, “Why is this so secretive? If there is a problem, and there CERTAINLY is, it should be public knowledge, especially for residents and business owners. But also for those of us who visit and have friends there.”