ELKHART -- For Pam Mulford, it's a constant battle to stay ahead of the water.
She buys expensive bottles of Iron Out to keep the stains off her clothes and dishes. She uses toilet cleaner to take the rust color out of her shower, which she has to scrub daily.
It's a battle she doesn't always win. Her green towels are gray. Her whites are yellowed.
Her family drinks bottled water, even though they have a softener. And the water dispenser on her refrigerator is useless.
Without all the precautions, Mulford's water smells like rotten eggs and family members get sick to their stomachs if they drink it. Even her cat won't drink it, she said.
The Mulford family isn't the only one in the Prairie Creek Run neighborhood dealing with water issues.
Despite the fact that the area, known for years as the lower-income Sawmill District, is close to industrial activity to the north, "I'm not aware of any specific groundwater contamination issues that are not naturally occurring," said John Hulewicz, environmental health supervisor at the Elkhart County Health Department.
Manganese, sulfur and iron are common in the groundwater, he said. "They are not detrimental to human health," he said. "They are primarily an aesthetic issue."
"They make it look bad. They make it smell bad or they make it taste bad," Hulewicz said.
It happens all over Elkhart County, he added.
Mike Mccavitt spent $7,000 on a water purification system for his Sunset Avenue home when he built it four years ago. Two types of iron were found in the water. The odor was strong, and if you left a bottle of water sitting out for a day, you could see the streaks of iron in it.
He has two purification systems in a utility room and a third under the sink. The system takes up so much area in the utility room, he and his wife have to use a stacked washer and dryer because there's no space for regular appliances.
Mary Ward recently went two weeks without running water in her Sunset Drive home. She had to use water from neighbors. "Black muck" clogs the pump from time to time, creating a situation where her family doesn't know whether they'll have water day-to-day.
"It's getting worse as time goes on," Ward said. "We really need city water."
She knows city water means money out of her pocket. "I'd rather pay another bill than go through this all the time," Ward said.
She said the solution to the well problem this time was to dig down to the well and take the elbow apart, pour muriatic acid into it and get the "black stuff" out. When they prime the pump, the black stuff comes out. "As time goes on, it goes away," Ward said.
Before she stopped drinking the water, Ward said she was a victim of urinary tract and kidney infections. Those have gone away since she started drinking bottled water.
Terry Grant and his wife have been fortunate, he said. "The water is good on this side of the street," he said. "We never had enough of it," however.
A water softener helps the taste, and a good cleaning of the well screen helped.
He'd rather pay for city water, though. "You've got water," Grant said. "You've got a constant flow."
Residents don't seem optimistic that anyone will come to their aid.
"We complain to the trustee all the time, but I know they're not going to do anything about it," Mulford said.
Actually, it's not up to the trustee. Until the city of Elkhart decides to put water lines in the neighborhood, they're stuck with what they have. And there is water nearby, according to Township Trustee Ben Russo -- further east on Sunset, on Bristol and Osolo Road, as well as Independence Street and Modrell Boulevard -- but the square-mile neighborhood itself is an island that's gone unannexed by city administrations over the years. It would cost more to provide city services than the city would get in property taxes from the homes.
"It is frustrating, but what are you going to do? We can't get them to put water in," Mulford said. "Help us."
Russo said Prairie Creek Run isn't one of Elkhart's highest income areas. "There's a lot of people in the area who can't afford it, even before" the economy went bad, he said of paying to put in city water.
Had a planned Meijer store off Cassopolis Street, as well as the widening of Johnson Street/C.R. 9 gone through, the area probably would have gotten sewer and water lines, Russo said.
Fritz Lambright, chairman of the Osolo Township Board, said there should be some type of grant to do a project in the area.
"Somebody's going to be a brave office holder and take this in," Lambright said of annexing the area.
WHAT'S IN THE WATER?
Manganese -- A naturally occurring metal found in many types of rocks, it is considered an essential nutrient. It's routinely found in groundwater, drinking water and soils at low levels. Drinking water containing the metal or swimming or bathing in water containing manganese may expose you to low levels of the chemical. Dissolved manganese can cause black particles in the water and stains on fixtures.
Iron -- Like manganese, iron is a naturally occurring metal found in soils, rocks and minerals. Groundwater comes into contact with these and releases the iron, sometimes causing a metallic taste and staining plumbing fixtures. Like manganese, the health risks in drinking water are insignificant. The amount of metals in the groundwater may vary by season. High concentrations of dissolved iron in a well bore may lead to the growth of iron bacteria.
Sulfur -- Sulfur occurs naturally in soils, rocks and minerals. Groundwater comes into contact with these solids and dissolves them and releases sulfur into the water. Above certain levels, sulfur can create a distinct and unpleasant odor of rotten eggs. Natural variations in water chemistry sometimes cause the sulfur smell to come and go in well water at different times of the year. Sulfur (sulfate) can have a laxative effect at high levels.
Source: Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, EPA and Oregon Department of Human Services