'Not trusting it': Water reliability concerns persist for some Grimes County residents

GRIMES COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- For some people living in rural Grimes County, turning on the faucet and getting clean, reliable water is not something they can take for granted.

"If you don't have a well out here, I don't know how else you're getting much," resident Kati Allen said.

Those without a well sometimes rely on private water companies that have racked up hundreds of violations, according to records from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

ABC13 requested TCEQ records showing water system violations between 2013 and June 2026. Two systems in Grimes County stood out: Anderson Water System and Richards Water System had 330 unique violations combined in that timeframe. As of October, 203 of those were still outstanding.

Among the top violations, records show the water companies failed to complete routine water-quality monitoring, such as collecting samples or submitting test results.

Denise Conte owns a wedding and event venue in Anderson. She said that not long ago, everyone served by the privately owned Anderson Water System lost water entirely.

"We were tiling penny tile in the lobby in the back, and we're at the grouting stage where you put the grout in, wait a few minutes, and then you have to clean it right away," Conte said. "They turned the water off in between, so we had grout sitting there for four or five days."

Conte said the water quality is also a concern.

"The quality already, it's not really, to be honest, drinking water quality. I wouldn't make ice out of it. I'm just not trusting it," she said.

ABC13 looked for an owner, a location, or even a phone number for Richards Water System and could not find one. An Anderson city council member told Eyewitness News it is owned by Anderson Water Company.

Data from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group covering 2018 to 2023 shows at least seven contaminants were found in Richards Water System's water, ranging from arsenic to radium. Those contaminants also appeared in the TCEQ violations ABC13 requested.

Sydney Evans, a senior science analyst with EWG, said the findings are cause for concern.

"It should be somewhat concerning that there are contaminants in your drinking water," Evans said.

Evans said there is a difference between the legal limit for contaminants and what science says is actually safe.

"Everybody needs to drink water, most people don't have a choice in where they get their tap water, and on top of that, it's not something that you necessarily know you're being exposed to," Evans said. "You're not opting into that exposure."

ABC13 went to the owner of Anderson Water Company. She declined an on-camera interview but told ABC13 she inherited the failing company in 2020 from her family and is constantly working on grants and funds to improve it. She also said she is in the process of trying to sell the company to the city in hopes of getting improvements for customers.

Melvin Wehmeyer, who lives in the area, said real changes need to be made in a town with limited options.

"It cost so much, and then we don't know how long the pipes have been in the ground in this town or even surrounding areas," Wehmeyer said.

Both Wehmeyer and Conte said they hope the water problems are resolved.

"As long as this town's been here, it probably needs to be just refurbished here and there," Wehmeyer said.

"It's an ongoing issue, and with the growth we're going to expect, it's got to be resolved because it's not even maintained anymore," Conte said.

The expected growth includes SpaceX's Terafab facility, currently being built in Grimes County and expected to bring thousands of jobs, along with thousands of people who could relocate to the area and rely on what the water company's owner called a failing water system.