St. Helena brown water problem getting worse as residents' frustration grows

St. Helena residents say they are still dealing with discolored, foul-smelling water months after the city's water system came under scrutiny in a Napa County Civil Grand Jury report.

Resident Michelle Liu Covell, who sent us video of the discolored water back in March, says the problem has only gotten worse.

"Discoloration, esthetics, smell, it's hard to shower because sometimes you'll shower and smells like you are showering in a swamp," Covell said.

Covell is a St. Helena planning commissioner, but she says she is speaking to us as a resident. She says this has been the worst summer of brown water she can remember.

"I'm in a group chat with about twenty neighbors right now and it's just pictures from people of their water that's brown," Covell said.

Covell says the problem peaked on July 18, when a private bus hit a fire hydrant, leaving some residents without water they felt was safe to drink for days.

And she says she's not alone.

Covell walked us over to her neighbor Kelly's house, where Kelly showed us the water filter she had just replaced as an example of what she has been experiencing.

In late June, a Napa County Civil Grand Jury released a report also calling out St. Helena's water system, saying it found years of deferred maintenance and poor planning. The report also noted that water rates rose about 183% between 2011 and 2025.

The city has acknowledged the report and told us it is working on a final copy of its response to send back in the coming weeks.

The city also recognized the frustration some residents had following the July 18 bus crash and encouraged them to submit formal claims.

In a statement Thursday, a city spokesperson said, in part:

"System improvements are the City's top priority. Nearly $15 million has been invested recently or is committed to active projects, with additional bond financing planned for future rounds of infrastructure work."

Covell says she appreciates the people working to fix the system. But she says the bottom line is simple: The bills keep coming, and the problem remains.