HAMLET, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Hamlet residents changed their water usage habits a few months ago when they noticed what came out of the faucet looked abnormal.
“It’s discolored.. It smells,” says Hamlet neighbor, Sean Smith.
Others described the water as brown, green, and even yellow, and at least two neighbors say their hair has fallen out in abnormally large clumps.
Smith thought it was the pipes in his 108-year-old home until he says other neighbors were complaining of the same issues.
Hamlet Mayor Amy Guinn says the city experienced an issue when the cloudiness of the water exceeded state environmental standards over the summer. The city’s protocol to flush water lines to fix the issue caused a discoloration and odor in the water.
She says it remained safe to drink, and no boiled water advisory was issued.
“The City of Hamlet remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency, professionalism, and long-term infrastructure planning.
This summer, the City of Hamlet experienced a temporary and minor issue when turbidity levels, essentially the cloudiness of water, slightly exceeded North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) thresholds. The Hamlet Water Department immediately responded by flushing water lines throughout the system, which is the correct and state-recommended action.
During this same period, weather conditions changed dramatically, with a sharp rise in temperatures following a mild stretch. Both the increased heat and the required line flushing can disturb naturally occurring mineral sediment that settles at the bottom of pipes. This can sometimes cause temporary discoloration or odor in the water, even though it remains fully treated and safe to drink.
At no point did NCDEQ issue a boil-water notice. Such alerts are mandatory if a real threat to public safety exists, and that never occurred. In fact, subsequent inspections by NCDEQ confirmed that Hamlet’s water system met all state standards and passed every test.“
But three months later, neighbors say they’re still experiencing issues — saying it lasts for a few days, then turns back to normal.
“What are the dangers? We’re strictly on bottled water forever… Because I have no idea when they’re going to fix this,” Smith said. “We bathe in it, we don’t drink it.”
Mayor Guinn says the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants will be replaced and upgraded after 2026.
“Looking forward, the City of Hamlet has already taken major steps over the past several years to modernize its water and wastewater systems. The City has secured and been approved for approximately $35 million in grants and low-interest loans to replace and upgrade its water and wastewater treatment plants. Work on the water plant is scheduled to begin early next year, and work on the wastewater plant is scheduled to begin mid-2026.
This funding also includes three major Asset Inventory Assessments (AIA): one each for the water distribution system, wastewater collection system, and stormwater drainage infrastructure. These studies are already underway and take approximately 24–36 months to complete. Once finalized, they will provide modern mapping of the City’s utility infrastructure and will be the basis for a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that will identify critical, essential, and nonessential infrastructure priorities to guide responsible reinvestment and replacement.”
Esco Latimer wonders what residents are supposed to do for consistent clean water until pipes are replaced. He says sometimes the water smells like sewage.
He’s running for city council.
“What I suggested was water testing kits. One day, the city has to send out mandatory notices about the water, and I gave about 15 different ways on how to pay for it so the city wouldn’t have to come out of money for themselves,” he said. Latimer says he’s working with the Rural Project to get testing kits sent to neighbors.
What moved him to run was when his fiancée told him she was experiencing abnormally large clusters of her hair falling out. It forced him to start testing the water.
His meter showed his water hit up to 128 ppm (parts per million) — showing the water was full of a lot of chemicals and other things in the water.
He says that although that number is normal for the Environmental Protection Agency, it was too much for the city’s water infrastructure, in his opinion.
He’s gone to several city council meetings about the issue dating back to August.
Amber Daniels is also running for the city council. She was affected over the summer when she bought a 5000-gallon above-ground pool, and the water used to fill it was orange.
“My kids were hurt when they couldn’t use it,” Daniels said. She says her individual testing also showed extra chemicals and minerals in the city water that she wasn’t comfortable with.
She says her background with the state Department of Environmental Quality could help the city choose the correct projects to make sure the city’s water consistently stays safe and clean.
“Not just saying that we’re designing something or we have the funds sitting there. Do we need a booster pump station? This is projects that I’ve worked on, something that can come in and enhance the flow of our actual water,” Daniels said.
Latimer and Daniels say they’ve both spent thousands on water filters over the last few months. Both are saying they’ve constantly had to change them throughout the month.
We reached out to other city council members for comment — we did not receive a response.
Voters cast their ballots on Tuesday.
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