After turning on the hot water, dirty water flows. What to do, where to complain, if dirty, rusty water comes out of the tap, is it possible to swim in it, how dangerous is it? How to tell if your water is contaminated

Quality tap water– is a pressing and frequently discussed question. Faced with a similar problem, the average person patiently spends hours draining liquid that is unsuitable for drinking and cooking. Not everyone is ready to deal with the question of why dirty water comes out of the tap and to whom to complain. As a rule, this is due to lack of awareness among citizens. However, the problem can be solved. How to do this? Let's try to figure it out.

Where to go if dirty water flows from the tap

Everyone should have information about the authorities where to complain if dirty (rusty) water flows from the tap.

If you rarely encounter the problem of poor quality water, then contacting the management company will be enough. The same should be done if the water quality changes after cleaning the boiler or replacing pipes in the emergency area.

The main way is to file a complaint about the supply of water of inadequate quality in writing. Such a claim must be sent by registered mail with notification. Please keep the shipping receipt as proof.

Important! The submitted application is reviewed by the resource supplying organization within 2 working days.

As a result, the management company receives an act. All indicated claims are addressed to the commission in order for a re-calculation to be made. After this, within a week, an approving decision must be made for services provided inappropriately.

If those responsible for solving the problem are in no hurry to respond to complaints from citizens, then it is necessary to send an appeal to the Office of Rospotrebnadzor, to the department for supervision of municipal hygiene. In this case, employees of the territorial department are required to check whether the water meets the necessary requirements. Samples will be taken from applicants' taps. The result will be the establishment of the cause of water pollution. In addition, a list of measures is drawn up, the implementation of which must be organized by the departments responsible for the quality of the liquid.

In what situations should you go to court?

Every citizen has the right to demand a supply of water of adequate quality, and it does not matter whether it is cold or hot water. Therefore, if after a complaint there is no reaction from the authorities mentioned above, then you can safely go to court with a claim.

To go to court you will need a number of documents:

1. an agreement prescribing the provision of relevant services, concluded between the plaintiff and the organization;
2. if there are acts, then you need to provide their originals or copies certified by a notary;
3. in the event that the liquid analysis was carried out on order, the result will also need to be submitted to the court.

The problem of rusty water is an unpleasant phenomenon. Having an idea of ​​where to go in such cases, you will be able to resolve the issue as quickly and painlessly as possible.

On video practical experience tap water quality solutions

Causes of dirty tap water

Situations when dirty or rusty water starts pouring out of a tap can be different. Some of them are temporary, and after a few days the problem goes away on its own without taking immediate action.

Rusty, contaminated water can come from the water supply in the following situations:

• After carrying out on water supply lines repair work, for several days, water of a brown or reddish hue may be supplied from the tap. The water utility must notify you in advance of the date of repairs. The problem of this plan will be solved by itself in a couple of days, as soon as the pipes are thoroughly washed.
• Poor water purification or unscrupulous water treatment measures. This indicates that the water utility performed its direct duties improperly and immediate measures must be taken.
• Dead-end branches of water mains are often where dirty water accumulates. Such areas must be carefully monitored. If water of poor quality has been flowing for a long time, it makes sense to demand that the water supply organization correct the situation and recalculate the payment for this type of service.
• It happens that it is impossible to visually determine low-quality water. You will be able to find out about this only after analyzing it, for which you can contact a state or independent laboratory. The cost of the service directly depends on what kind of analysis will be done.

How to tell if your water is contaminated

Only water utility employees can determine the cause of water pollution. But without them, it is also possible to identify some of the pollutants.

The following features should not be ignored:

• Water marks remaining on dishes. The presence of brown or greenish tints indicates that the concentration of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid is exceeded;
• if the liquid has a specific smell (of earth, fish, decaying wood), then this indicates contamination of the liquid with impurities of organic origin;
• if black spots appear on the surface of the sink or the silver tableware has darkened, then we can conclude that the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the aquatic environment is exceeded;
• liquid with a high content of alkalis will begin to foam as soon as it gets on aluminum cookware;
• a metallic taste of water indicates an increased content of metals in it;
• if the liquid has acquired a brown or reddish color, then this indicates the oxidation process of iron inside the pipelines;
• cloudy water, self-cleaning after settling, warns of the presence of methane or that there is a lot of excess air in the pipelines.

If any of these signs are detected, you need to notify the water utility responsible for the water supply.

Tap water, due to its hygienic qualities, hardly inspires confidence in a consumer who is sophisticated in the issue of drinking water quality, but there are times when dirty tap water simply amazes with its color and smell.

If the case is isolated, then you can simply drain the dirty liquid well. But repeated incidents should attract attention and prompt action.

There are several factors that influence water supply contamination:

The situation is worse with the first two reasons. To eliminate them, the intervention of utility services is necessary.

How to tell if water is dirty

Frankly dirty and muddy water is visible to the naked eye. But with poor water purification, you can detect low-quality water only by carefully observing the condition of household items and relying on your sense of smell. Main indicators of harmful liquid:

• greenish marks on the dishes indicate an increased presence of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid;
• black stains on the sink indicate the maximum permissible concentration of hydrogen sulfide;
• alkaline water foams when it comes into contact with aluminum pans;
• bad smell indicates the existence of foreign organic impurities.

The mentioned impurities are unacceptable in drinking water and are harmful when consumed. You can fight this phenomenon yourself. Settled water, passed through a filter, and even with the addition of reagents, is suitable for use. But these are additional material and time costs.

What should a consumer do if low-quality water is detected?

The supply of poor-quality water is a violation of the rights of residents as consumers of the service and a violation of legal sanitary and hygienic standards. The task of citizens is to find the culprit structure and force it to do the work to eliminate the problem. To do this you need to do the following:

1. If the water is very often of an unnatural color or cloudy, this fact must be recorded. It is better to make video material for evidence in case of litigation. You can also collect it in a transparent glass bottle.
2. Contact the Criminal Code with a statement about poor quality water and with a demand to create a competent commission to investigate this issue. The working commission should consist of representatives of the operating organization and Vodokanal. You can insist on inviting an employee of the municipality's utilities department and a health doctor to join the commission to conduct an analysis of the quality of the selected sample.
3. The commission examination, which must take place no later than two days after submitting the application, ends with the drawing up of an act. The act indicates the reasons established initially and visually. If necessary, fluid samples are submitted for analysis. And after all the procedures have been carried out, but no later than 10 days, the consumer is given a response with a precise indication of the culprit and the time frame for eliminating the problem.
4. If the elimination time is unreasonably high, the consumer must complain to the territorial department of Rospotrebnadzor. Supporting the complaint with copies of all drawn up acts, examination results and responses from utility services.

Consumers should know that the utility organization will be liable in full for receiving poor-quality water, but only if the fact is proven and confirmed.

If the at-fault party does not voluntarily accept responsibility, the tenant has the right to file a lawsuit. Where, in addition to standard requirements, you can claim reimbursement for the costs of purchasing bottled water, repairing household appliances and other damaged property. But all expenses must be confirmed in writing.

The requirement for proper quality of both cold and hot water This is a legal right of the consumer. In this case, actions must be thoughtful and only with written confirmation of each step. Empty squabbles and telephone threats on your part will lead to nothing.

The issue of drinking water quality is a pressing issue, and the editors are increasingly receiving letters with complaints from residents about rusty tap water. One of the latest was sent from Solnechnogorsk district, Andreevka village. Reader Sergei asks how to force the utility service to improve the situation with drinking water and what to do to recalculate the fee for the poor-quality service provided? Let's try to figure it out.

If it seems to you or you are absolutely sure that, you don’t need to endure and spend hours draining rusty water that is unsuitable for drinking and cooking.

Let us remember that water is a public service for which residents pay money for consumption. According to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 307 “On the procedure for providing utility services to citizens,” in the event of the provision of utility services of inadequate quality (in our case, this is rusty water with other impurities), it is necessary to immediately notify the emergency dispatch service.

Bad water can be reported either in writing or verbally over the phone. The emergency service dispatcher is obliged to accept and record your application in the journal, providing the registration number and time of filing the complaint. If a representative of the dispatch service knows the reasons for providing a poor-quality service (for example, repairs on site), he is obliged to inform the consumer about this. If the reasons are not known, then the dispatcher needs to record in the application log the fact of providing a low-quality service with the exact time and date.

An effective way is a written request in the form of a registered letter with notification. The payment receipt is proof that the letter was sent, keep it just in case.

Your application should be responded to within two business days. A representative of the resource supplying organization and a representative of the management organization are required to check for the presence of rusty water in your tap and draw up an act on the provision of utility services of inadequate quality. (Clause 8 of Government Decree No. 307). The document is signed by the consumer and representatives of the resource supply organization and management company.

If a representative of the resource supplying organization fails to appear upon application to specified period, the act is drawn up in the presence of a representative of the management organization and at least two residents of the house. The document is secured with signatures with a note about the non-appearance of the performer and is considered valid. The act is drawn up in two copies, handed over to the contractor and is considered the basis for recalculating payments for poor-quality services (Article 71, paragraph 8 of Resolution No. 307). The claim is sent to the recalculation commission for consideration and within a few days a decision is made to recalculate the payment for the poor-quality service.

Rospotrebnadzor will help speed up the process of reviewing the application and drawing up a claim act. Based on the results of the examination, which must be carried out in the presence of the utility consumer, a representative of the management company and the resource supply organization, an act on the provision of a utility service of inadequate quality is drawn up. Water intake is a paid service, however, this method is the most effective. The drawn up act with the results of the examination is considered the basis for recalculating utility bills or paying compensation for harm caused to the life and health of the consumer. Rospotrebnadzor obliges the management company or resource supply organization to eliminate the cause of rusty water, depending on who is to blame.

You need to know what is affected high pressure and water speed, sediments deposited on the pipes and solid particles of rust are washed away. In addition, there are so-called “dead-end lines” located in the private sectors of cities, where the pipeline was laid long ago by the owners of private houses. This also degrades water quality.

Of course, this is not a normal phenomenon. After all, every tenant or homeowner pays public utilities of adequate quality, including water supply.

Where to contact

If the occurrence of poor-quality water in the water supply is rare, then it is enough to contact the management company. The same should be done if the water quality has changed after cleaning the boiler or replacing pipes in the emergency area.

When such a problematic situation continues for a long period and the management company ignores the statements of the tenants, then you should resort to contacting the local water utility to test the drinking water. These studies are being carried out in collaboration with management company.

There are situations when those responsible for research data are slow to respond to citizens' requests. According to the Federal Law, you can send an appeal to the Office of Rospotrebnadzor in the hygiene supervision department. Specialists from the territorial department will conduct proper research and laboratory tests of water quality. Samples will be taken from applicants' taps. As a result, the causes of water pollution will be clarified.

If there is no reaction

If no action on the part of the above authorities occurs, then you should submit written statements to several authorities: the prosecutor's office, the court, the Ministry of Rospotrebnadzor, the State Housing Inspectorate. If there are results of any analyzes and conclusions of independent specialists, then copies of them must be attached to the applications.

There is a misconception that you don’t have to pay for low-quality water, for water that doesn’t comply with Sanitary Regulations and Regulations. Before not paying, you must prove the non-compliance. Only by proving this in court can you get your money back and force the perpetrators to pay for the damage caused to citizens.

To file a lawsuit against a water utility, a single customer and a service organization, you must collect the following necessary documents:
1. Service agreement with the relevant organization.
2. All acts or certified copies. Which were compiled.
3. Conclusions of analyzes, if any.

The court's claims must fully cover all claims, otherwise compensation will be partial. We must demand:
1. Restore the quality of water in the water supply.
2. Release the plaintiff from paying for poor quality water. Reason – Article 29 of the Law Russian Federation"On the protection of consumer rights."
3. If filters were installed, then reimburse the cost to the culprit.
4. Compensation for moral damage. This point must be justified material costs and moral suffering.
5. Compensation for losses associated with possible damage to property, expenses for drinking water because the rights of citizens were violated. Grounds – Article 15, paragraph 2 of the Civil Code of Russia “...restoration of violated rights...”

But phone calls and empty verbal threats will lead nowhere.