RIVERBANK, Calif. — When Riverbank resident Lena Wright turned on her tap water a few weeks ago, she noticed something terribly wrong.
"It instantly started burning and infecting any previous wound," Wright explained. "[It] made new wounds for those who had hives."
And her kids, Joshua and Lydia, suffered skin irritation and dizzy spells, too.
"We should have just ceased all bathing immediately, but I thought it was just possibly in the morning," Wright said.
What was it? Wright said she believes it was a reaction to the chlorination of the city's water.
Near the end of January, two of the city's nine wells were rebuilt. As a precaution, for five days, chlorine was used to make sure no bacteria got into the system.
But soon, social media blew up with photo after photo of people posting about rashes, hives and skin irritation.
"And we've done it in the past and didn't have any issues. We didn't think anything of it," said Michael Riddell, the Riverbank Public Works Director.
Riddell told ABC10 the chlorination was done within state and federal guidelines — 251 samples were taken with no red flags.
So what caused the sudden health problems?
"I'm not saying it doesn't happen," Riddell said. "I'm not saying that it didn't happen. I'm not a medical professional, so I can't answer that question."
Matt Mayton said for days, the water caused chaos in his home as the bath emitted a strong chlorine smell. Mayton said his wife and one- and 5-year-old sons all suffered from a host of health issues.
"The kids get in the bath, and after a couple minutes, they're all red and swollen up and itchy," Mayton said. "We started to get dandruff we never had before."
Some neighbors on the same street as the Mayton family said they didn't notice any issues with their water.
Riddell said the city did its due diligence in chlorinating the systems, even cutting the chlorination, which was planned for seven days, short after the uproar on social media.
But for those affected by the nasty ailments, they say the city's explanation isn't good enough. They want more answers.
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Kurt Rivera.
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