Gloria Murray grew up in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She said the septic system on the island was “disastrous.” (Photo by Bryn Caswell/News21)

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Gloria Murray spent 20 years dealing with the consequences of a faulty septic system on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

She grew up on the island, which is often described as “paradise” by tourists, with its sandy beaches and gated golf resorts. But for many native islanders such as Murray, everyday life on Hilton Head was often more hellish than heavenly because of the septic situation.

“When it rained, it actually filled up the (septic) system,” she said. “The drainfield got clogged up at the end of the line, so there was no place for any of the water to go except come up on the ground or back up in my house.”

Murray told News21 that it was “disastrous” bringing up three children in that environment. Water would regularly gurgle up from the drain in the bathtub, while they sometimes could not flush the toilet for hours.

When it rained, the water wouldn’t drain properly, and the house would become flooded. The septic system had to be fixed “every three months” before the Murrays finally connected to the public sewer system in November 2016.

Murray told News21 that she had “religiously” lobbied Hilton Head’s Public Service District before they got the connection. “For 20 years, I have been checking to make sure when they came through here with the infrastructure that I would be first on their list,” she said.

Soil conditions on the island aren’t suitable for septic systems because of excessive drainage in some parts and a lack of drainage in others, said Pete Nardi, general manager of Hilton Head  Public Service District.

The town has allocated more than $10 million to bring sewer lines to unserved areas, but that funding won’t cover all residents immediately.

Nardi is part of the Sewer Access For Everyone project, a collaborative effort with Hilton Head town and Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. The initiative aims to connect all island residents to sewer by 2020.

Mario Martinez and his family, who live in Hilton Head, South Carolina, must live with a septic system that frequently breaks down. (Bryn Caswell/News21)

The foundation raised $3 million to hook up 1,000 low-income homes to public sewer. Residents can apply for grants to help cover the expense.

“There will still be some places where the town funding won’t be at play,” Nardi said. “That’s what we’re tackling with Project SAFE: using that charitable effort to get the low-moderate income homeowners connected.”

Mayor David Bennett said the aim of the project was to give everyone who desires public sewer the ability to connect to it.

“First, we are getting the infrastructure in place for individuals to connect to,” Bennett said. “Our hope is that everyone will connect to that. If that doesn’t happen, then I suspect the town council will come back and look around at a policy of requiring everyone to tap on to the sewer system.”

But Murray said the project will take a long time: “Four years is not a long time. But if you have (septic) issues, it seems like a lifetime.”

“These 30-year-old septic tanks, (they’re) going to become a hazard before too long,” she told News21. “It’s going to cause lots of illness and sickness if we don’t take care of it.”

However, there are still people who will not be eligible for the grant given the fact that Project SAFE is for “owner occupied” households, Nardi said.

Landscaper Mario Martinez has lived in the community for four years, and he has yet to be hooked up to public sewer.

“There’s a certain level on the water where it just stops working,” he said. “Nothing works until the (water) level goes down.”

“We just basically have to wait (to shower),” he added. “The toilets don’t flush. The water doesn’t go away. It just stays there.”

Martinez cannot connect his family to public sewer because he is renting his home on Darling Road. This means he cannot apply for a SAFE grant.

To see the full News21 report on “Troubled Water,” go to troubledwater.news21.com on Aug. 14.

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Bonnie Sicard, who lives in Beebe Plains, Vermont, said her water has problems: “It’s got arsenic. It’s got a bunch of other stuff in it.” (Photo by Fionnuala O’Leary/News21)

BEEBE PLAIN, Vt. – The residents of Beebe Plain in Derby, Vermont, have gotten used to the “boil water” notices that come in the mail.

“They send us a post every once in awhile saying that we should be boiling our water,” resident Bonnie Sicard said. “This has been going on pretty much ever since I’ve lived here. And that’s 27 years.”

The picturesque community, which straddles the Canadian border, is more than two hours away from the nearest city, Burlington.

Although the local water district draws its water from Stanstead, Quebec, Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation regulates it.

But several Beebe Plain residents said they’re frustrated that officials on both sides of the border can’t seem to fix the problems, despite the fact residents still have to pay for the water.

Residents must rely on bottled water because “nobody knows half the time whether you can drink it or even take a bath in it,” Sicard said.

But, she said, nobody wants to take responsibility.

“When you’re talking to the mayor (of Stanstead, Quebec) in Canada, they tell you it’s not their problem,” she said. “Then you go to the town and you talk to them about it, and they say it’s not their problem. Whose problem is it then?”

Ben Montross, a representative from Vermont’s environmental department, said it’s a complicated relationship. The community had to switch to the Canadian water source after its local well water source became contaminated with arsenic, but they have still run into problems.

Montross said the latest boil water notice was issued to warn residents of potential bacterial contamination after a leak in Vermont’s water distribution system.

For some residents, paying an annual fee of $254 for drinking water is a major source of contention.

“It’s just scary to think about drinking water not being safe to drink,” said Paul Therrien, a father of three. “That’s your drinking water. That comes out of your faucet. You’re paying. We’re expected to pay (nearly) $300 a year for water that we can’t use.”

Therrien and his girlfriend, Alyssa Coburn, said they wanted to “settle down, be happy and have our family” in Beebe Plain. But they received an arsenic warning with their first bill.

“Kids are quite a bit of work anyway on their own nevermind having to boil water to bathe my children,” Coburn said. “For a household of five people every single day, it just kind of felt like the workload got even worse.”

The couple, who received the latest boil water notice two months ago, said they are never informed when and if the water is safe to drink again. Stacks of water bottles line their hallway along with children’s toys.

“There’s no freedom,” Therrien said. “You’re not able to go to the kitchen cupboard and grab a glass and fill it up with water and know that you’re drinking a safe substance. It’s very, very stressful.”

Montross told News21 that the boil water notices were just a “precautionary” measure after that leak in the distribution system.

But Therrien said he still worries about the health of his children, ages 3, 4 and 9. He is terrified they will accidentally drink water laced with arsenic or contaminated with bacteria.

“You can’t be in every room of the house with three kids,” he said. “You’ve got one running up the stairs. You can’t stop them from washing their hands. And the little ones, they want a drink – they don’t understand.”

To see the full News21 report on “Troubled Water,” go to troubledwater.news21.com on Aug. 14.

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Jessica Penna started losing her hair in “in gigantic clumps” because of water contamination in Weston, Connecticut. (Photo by Fionnuala O’Leary/News21)

WESTON, Conn. – The wooded village of Weston boasts forest walks and brooks, but the pastoral beauty of this wealthy southwestern Connecticut community can be deceiving, as Jessica Penna learned.

Penna, who lives on Farrell Road in Weston with her family, is one of about 823,000 people who rely on water from unregulated private wells in Connecticut, according to the state.

“It started with my hair falling out in gigantic clumps,” Penna told News21. “I was losing pigmentation in my skin. My joints were bothering me. I was tired all the time, fatigued. I went to several doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and nobody seemed to have any answers.

“In my gut, I knew something was going on with my water.”

Then Penna’s 9-year-old son AJ developed a halo of hair pigmentation in “a ring that went all the way around his head.”

Penna finally consulted the Environmental Protection Agency’s website for possible well water contaminants using her symptoms as a guide. In 2013, she enlisted the help of a natural pathologist who sent a sample of her well water to a lab in Georgia. It tested positive for arsenic twice the recommended limit of 10 parts per billion amongst other naturally occurring elements such as uranium.

“I was ecstatic when I found out it was arsenic,” Penna said. “I know that sounds insane, but to finally have an answer to what was wrong with me and how to finally treat myself, I was over the moon.”

According to the World Health Organization, the symptoms of long-term arsenic exposure include skin disorders such as pigmentation or lesions, as well as cancer. The organization warns that if a person continues to drink or ingest arsenic over the course of five years, it may result in skin cancer. Penna had been exposed to the toxin for eight years.

“We’re in the United States of America,” she said. “How is that possible?”

WATCH: Jessica Pena discusses the contamination’s effect on her family.

The family of six has since installed a $1,000 reverse osmosis system on the kitchen sink as well as a $4,000 arsenic filtration system, which services the entire house. Penna said they can’t afford the $1,500 to maintain the whole-house system, which needs new filters, cartridges and sand for rebedding.

“If you can’t afford (filters), then what?” she said. “Then you’re buying bottled water, I guess. You’re cooking with bottled water. You’re still showering with it though.”

Penna said she and her 5-year-old daughter Anabella use the the local gym to shower and wash their hair.

A representative from the Connecticut Department of Public Health said local health departments regulate the construction and location of new private wells. Potential home buyers may “may choose to have the private well inspected during the home inspection for a real estate transaction.” Existing well owners are left to their own devices, however.

Penna said officials should do more to raise awareness about potential problems for private well owners.

“I think the government is responsible for making people aware of what’s in it and giving that resident the option to test for it,” she said. “The government should make you aware that those dangers lie in your water.”

Dependant on a well she doesn’t trust, Penna still worries.

“That’s the scary part,” she said. “What other natural contaminants could be there and the government doesn’t warn you about?”

To see the full News21 report on “Troubled Water,” go troubledwater.news21.com on Aug. 14.

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