General (17)
Susana Barrios
From:Stephanie Mercadante <burglin.stephanie@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, June 23, 2026 6:36 PM
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] On Behalf of Mike Robbins, District 2, Councilmember Carlos Leon
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open
attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message.
For public comment on June 23, 2026:
Lenain Water Treatment Plant, excessive flushing, and accountability.
Keith McDonald, the former Water Operations Manager who was transferred on June 9 to manage lab
testing, ordered the opening of a valve in September 2025 that had been closed for almost a year. When
that valve was opened, it released organic material into the treatment process.
When you hear the word “organic,” you think of something healthy. Organic fruits. Organic vegetables.
Organic food.
At a water treatment plant, “organic material” means decomposing vegetation, algae, sediment,
decomposing fish, and other dead animals. That is what caused the water to turn brown in September
2025.
Did Alert Anaheim employees request that the valve be closed to stop the rot? Yes. Yes, they did. Was
the valve closed? No. No, it was not.
Keith McDonald continued ordering the valve opened further — all the way to 100%.
Keith McDonald, Richard Salas, and Eleanor Busito saw the rotting water firsthand. Those same
individuals were involved in providing information for the Water Quality Report.
So why was this significant event omitted from the report? Instead of addressing the cause, additional
chlorine was added, which did not solve the problem, but it did increase THM levels - disinfectant
byproducts you should not breathe or shower in.
The State requires testing for THM levels. If THM levels are high, the City has a problem.
What happened next? Excessive flushing was ordered by Keith McDonald, Richard Salas, and Eleanor
Busito.
Hours of flushing before State compliance testing — flushing to manipulate sampling results.
When residents began speaking about drinking water concerns, rather than taking those concerns
seriously, you requested a staff presentation.
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You thought residents needed to be educated about the water. Does it sound like we need to be
educated?
We need our elected officials to investigate these allegations. For you, your family, and neighbors.
Launch an independent investigation. Follow the facts wherever they lead. Release the findings to the
public.
Anything less than an independent investigation constitutes a dereliction of this Council's duty to provide
oversight and protect the interests of the residents it was elected to serve.
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