Fort Pierce residents complain about no water, then brown water in Orangewood Village Apartments

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Sarah Gray, a resident of Orangewood Village Apartments in Fort Pierce, said her faucets haven't worked properly since Monday, when the complex management said a water pipe broke right outside her front door.

"All week, I haven't had water," said Gray. "I've had to pack my kids up and take them to friends to bathe them."

Shaneka Brown has been giving her kids bottled water to drink. She turned on her faucets Tuesday to running water, but she said the water was brown.

"It was disgusting," said Brown, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "I can't drink that, I can't let my kids drink that. It's nasty."

Judith Frederick, property manager for the apartments, declined to comment on camera, but claims she notified residents of the issue on Monday by posting a notice on the complex bulletin board. Both Brown and Gray said they never saw that original notice, and they point out the date on a separate letter each tenant received Tuesday, a day after their water actually cut off.

"They give a late notice, and it even says March 12," said Gray, gesturing to the letter's bold print.

Levette Dixon, a spokesperson for the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, said the city has no record of this broken pipe.

"The complex repaired the pipe on their own part, which means Orangewood Village takes full responsibility," said Dixon.

Dixon said FPUA would have put out an advisory, warning residents to boil their water for the next 72 hours. Without boiling the water, there is no way to know for sure whether it is safe for consumption.

"I should be able to go to my bathroom and turn on my water, and my kids be able to bathe in clean water," Gray said. "It comes out of the tap, and it's straight dirt."