St. Helena residents have dealt with seasonal bouts of brown, foul-smelling water for decades, but the problem has become increasingly frequent over the past year, with residents saying it now smells like swamp water.

St. Helena's posh reputation is not well reflected in what comes out of its water taps. The Napa Valley town’s long-running water problems have now become increasingly difficult for residents to ignore, as the contaminated water has been showing up more frequently and lasting beyond the seasonal episodes that date back to at least the ‘80s, as KPIX reports.

The issue has also drawn scrutiny from the Napa County Civil Grand Jury, which found significant problems with the city’s aging water system. Reports of discolored water have continued through the summer, and some residents say the problem has become a routine part of daily life.

The issue was particularly noticeable after a July 18 incident in which a private bus struck a fire hydrant, causing about 4,000 gallons of water per minute to surge through the system for roughly 20 minutes, as ABC 7 reported at the time. St. Helena Assistant City Manager Joe Leach said the sudden rush stirred up sediment that had accumulated inside the pipes, leaving some residents without water they felt was safe to drink for several days.

The Chronicle reported in March that the city attributes the discoloration largely to naturally occurring iron and manganese that have accumulated inside its aging pipes. Changes in water flow, including those caused by maintenance or seasonal conditions, can loosen that material and send it into the distribution system.

Michelle Liu Covell, a St. Helena planning commissioner who says she is speaking as a resident, told KPIX that a group chat of about 20 neighbors is frequently occupied by residents sharing photos of brown water. She also described the smell as bad enough to make showering unpleasant.

“There are days where it’s fine, there are days where it’s brown, and there are days when it smells like swamp,” Covell said.

City officials have said the water may look or smell unpleasant but is not harmful and remains safe to drink. Some residents remain unconvinced, particularly given the city’s high water rates.

The problem has prompted some residents to take more drastic measures. In 2023, Bianca Thall and her husband left St. Helena because they could no longer trust the water enough to bathe their children, as the Chronicle reported.

“I don’t feel like I could put my baby in this water,” Thall said.

St. Helena acknowledged in 2023 that its water problems had reached “an entirely new level in both severity and reach,” and estimated it would spend more than $55.5 million over five years to modernize its drinking water and wastewater systems.

The 2025-26 Napa County Civil Grand Jury later investigated complaints about the system and found decades of deferred maintenance, poor planning, and what it described as ineffective governance and failures by City Council leadership. The report also noted that water rates and city taxes had risen substantially between 2011 and 2025, despite promises that the additional revenue would help restore the system.

The city disputed the report’s characterization of its recent work, pointing to millions of dollars already spent on infrastructure improvements. Those projects include an $18.8 million wastewater treatment facility, upgraded filtration at the Water Treatment Plant, a new monitoring and control system, nearly 3,000 smart water meters, and replacement of multiple water and sewer pipeline segments.

The Grand Jury itself recognized improvements at the treatment plant, noting that water leaving the plant and entering the distribution system is “clean, clear, and healthy.” The city says the remaining problems with taste, odor, and discoloration are primarily occurring farther downstream, where decades of sediment have accumulated in parts of the aging distribution network.

The city said it began a high-velocity water-main flushing pilot program in June intended to clear the buildup, and it’s evaluating whether to expand it. City staff have also made treatment and operational changes, completed hydraulic modeling, and are preparing a broader assessment of the distribution system to guide future repairs.

The city has also acknowledged residents’ frustration over the July hydrant incident and encouraged those affected to submit formal claims.

“System improvements are the City’s top priority,” a city spokesperson said Thursday, per KPIX.

St. Helena is also continuing public “Water Table” meetings with residents, the Water and Wastewater Advisory Committee, and technical experts to discuss water-quality concerns and infrastructure projects.

Covell said she appreciates the people working on the system, but residents are still paying their water bills while dealing with the same problems at their taps.

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