‘It’s a s—t show’: St. Helena residents enraged by brown tap water

A wealthy Napa County city famous for its wine and fine dining is facing an ongoing water crisis as taps run brown, leaving hoteliers reaching for bleach to clean sheets and at least one restaurant owner saying it’s an embarrassment to the tourism-focused community.

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Residents and business owners in St. Helena, a city about 20 miles north of Napa, have complained for months over the city’s brown and often smelly tap water, which worsened in July when a bus ran over a fire hydrant. The city says the dirty water is safe but still advised people not to drink the discolored tap water following the hydrant leak. 

Rachel Williams, the owner of Ray Ray’s Tacos in St. Helena, said she now offers bottled water to guests and feels that having to explain why the local tap water is brown has smudged the wealthy city’s image.

“It’s a luxury area that people are visiting, and when you … have to tell people my tap is brown, that’s embarrassing because it’s not my fault,” Williams said. “It’s something you have to explain to guests.” 

Patrice Viera, a general manager at Inn St. Helena, echoed Williams’ concerns as she has been forced to switch to bottled water and pay housekeepers more to clean bathtubs and linens that have deep-set stains from the tap water. 

“It’s a s—t show. I feel like we’re being poisoned,” said Viera, who also lives on the property. “We can’t get our linens washed. … It’s been an absolute challenge, no matter how much bleach you put in.”

St. Helena is known for its charming downtown area that features fine dining restaurants like the Charter Oak and Michelin-starred restaurant Press, in addition to big-name wineries including Alpha Omega Winery and Rombauer Vineyards. Viera told SFGATE that she’s frustrated with the city’s slow response to a fix while customers pay a premium for room accommodations. 

St. Helena’s intermittent brown tap water has been a decadeslong issue that worsens during the peak season between June and September, when demand is higher, according to Andrew Bradley, a spokesperson for the city. Discoloration in the water is caused by iron and manganese found in the city’s main water supply, Bell Canyon Reservoir, Bradley said. Treated water has nearly eliminated iron and manganese, but during peak demand, those compounds dislodge from pipe walls, he said.

Bradley said that the city recently finished a water flushing project on 7 miles of its 45-mile system to try to clean the water and is actively replacing old pipes.

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“We have already replaced approximately 3,000 feet of pipeline in the last two years,” Bradley said in an email. 

Joe Leach, the assistant city manager and public works director, said in a Tuesday city council meeting that the exact origin of the deposits found in water pipes is unknown because they are more extensive than previously thought. Leach said that St. Helena Public Works plans to initiate a mitigation program that includes sampling deposits and presenting city council members with a contract to clean the entire system by the end of the year. Leach did not share when Public Works expects city tap water to consistently run clear.

James McCann, the interim city manager, said on Tuesday that $500,000 will be distributed to utility customers who had accounts on or before July 31. A one-time credit of $200 is expected to be applied to upcoming billing cycles. 

The city’s rebate hasn’t comforted locals and business owners who remain angered by the city’s response. 

“A rebate may soften the burden. It does not remove the burden,” resident Daniel Hale said in a letter submitted to city council members. “The longer the cause remains unresolved, the longer our residents and businesses continue to live with the consequences.” 

Viera called the rebate “a drop in the bucket” given the high water rates in St. Helena, which increased by 183% between 2011 and 2023, according to a Napa County civil grand jury report published in June. The report reviewed complaints of poor water quality from 2025 to 2026 and found that the city utility system, St. Helena Water Enterprise, had neglected maintenance for a decade. The report also chastised city government for its “lack of long-term operational and financial planning.”  

Viera said that she would prefer the city stopped raising utility fees, whose base rate increased from $79.02 last year to $85.35 in July, given the poor water locals are getting.

Viera told SFGATE on Wednesday that water at the Inn St. Helena was running clear, but she is doubtful it will remain that way. Her biggest concern now is the health problems the brown tap water could pose down the road, as she’s grown concerned about showering and brushing her teeth with tap water. 

“I don’t take baths anymore; I wouldn’t even dare,” Viera said.