It's been a week of frustration for people living in Horseshoe Bend.
The Parker County neighborhood has been without water for days. Some residents, left unable to shower, have been bathing in the Brazos River.
"Everybody down here got stinky after a three days, you know. We even got people go down the river and take a bath," said Bill Ellis, Horseshoe Bend resident.
Complaint calls to Horseshoe Bend's water company, Texas Rain, started trickling in on Monday. Water service was temporarily restored Thursday, but a new leak was found in the tank and pressure dropped.
Welders arrived Friday to tend to the new leak, but first they had to empty it. The tank, now repaired, is once again being filled with water.
The leak is the fourth this week in a system that is more than four decades old.
"You know, this is the first place I've ever lived where the water gets cut off. And this has been going on now since November," said John Collins, Horseshoe Bend resident.
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Collins is one of many residents who expressed concerns about the steady stream of troubles. Ellis said he's been dealing with water pressure issues twice a month, on average. He said it's a routine occurence for pipes, older than the 41 years he's lived there.
"We gotta lot of trees down here. They'll grow in next to a main line and break it and they put what I call a bandaid on them," Ellis said.
The president of Texas Rain said they've been hard at work repairing the leaks but that water had been spilling out faster than they could replace it.
Residents were warned they may again lose pressure Friday during the latest repair.
In the meantime, volunteers are passing out water bottles from Texas Rain because the low pressure water coming from the faucets isn't safe to drink.
"I put a big pot on the stove and get me some boiling water and I go in the bathroom and do kind of a monkey shower. Top of my head to the bottom of my feet, ya know?" Ellis said.
Texas Rain said the system should be fully functional by late Friday evening. Company president, Butch Hardie, told NBC 5 the problems weren't a maintenance issue.
"It's just part of being a water distribution company," Hardie said, adding that "leaks happen."
The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality said it's in contact with the water company and Parker County Emergency Management, monitoring the situation. The boil order remains in effect until at least Monday when the water quality can be tested.
