Arlington Apartment Residents Steamed Over Water

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Residents at two separate Arlington apartment complexes are steaming over the lack of water at their homes.

At the Arbrook Park Apartments near Interstate 20 and Collins Street, residents are getting water out of a fire hydrant.  A pipe at the complex burst Sunday night, leaving people without water, so the city opened the hydrant.

Monday night some units had their water restored, but residents who didn't brought jugs and filled up at the hydrant so they could wash dishes and flush toilets.

"It's gross!  It's nasty!  I pay a lot of money to live here," says Janalea Tesdal, who was getting water with her 10-year-old daughter, "You can't cook food, take a shower, wash your face.  My dog is drinking bottled water!"

The city says water out of the hydrant is perfectly safe and a temporary solution.  Residents have been told everyone should have water by Wednesday.

But Arbrook Park residents aren't the only ones dealing with the cold weather and without water.  Several residents at the King Landing off Misty Ridge Circle say they've gone without hot water for the last month-and-a-half.

"It's so frustrating," says Annette Sherman "It got bad to boil water and take it upstairs to take a shower or go to someone else's house to take a shower,  it was really upsetting to me."

Sherman says to take a bath she takes 5 pots and boils the water.  She then goes up the stairs and into the bathroom to dump the water in the tub.

Sylvia House, who lives across from Sherman, boils at least 8 pots to take a bath.  "I've had hot water for 4 days since December 20th," said House.

House, 59, can't even flush her toilet and has been storing water in one of her other tubs.  "I scoop and put in my tank to flush my toilet to go to the bathroom," says House.

The city gave the complex written notice to have the plumbing problems fixed by Tuesday.  The owners say they had broken pipes underground and that was even before the winter weather made the situation worse.  They're now waiting on parts that are out of stock.

Residents say they've waited long enough some have even decided to move.  "I don't know whether to look forward to ever getting hot water before I get out," explains Sherman.

Code Compliance says if the water is not hot at King Landing by Tuesday, then the complex will be cited.