Residents said they felt trapped in a new house plagued by mysterious water problems, and they worried that it might make them sick.

Lihu, Kauai-It took ten years for Dr. Brigitte Kahlo to afford a house on Kauai.

A pediatrician at Wilcox Medical Center, first-time homebuyers are pleased to purchase a three-bedroom duplex apartment in a new development in the Hanamaulu community in Lihue in 2019.

With the new building, she thinks she will not have problems anytime soon. But Carreau soon discovered the "black slime" she and dozens of her neighbors were familiar with-a sticky, smelly sludge that oozes from their taps and shower heads, sometimes oozing out Long, oozing lines.

"When I brush my teeth, I will vomit and throw up trash," Carreau said. "It's like,'What is this?'"

The source of the so-called black slime remains a mystery. The state health regulator stated that the problem is related to the 151-unit Hooluana of the Kohea Loa housing development, which includes market-priced and affordable single-family homes and duplex homes. More than half of Hooluana homeowners said they were affected.

Michael Gongping, chief of engineering at the Safe Drinking Water Division of the Hawaii Department of Health, called the situation "terrible" and said there were no similar complaints anywhere else in the state.

Although there is no conclusive evidence, some residents said they believe that water will make them sick. 

Kauai Detective Aaron Lester said that his wife wore earplugs in the shower to avoid ear infections, which she started after entering the development zone. 

Tennis coach Perry Chan said that he and his daughter suddenly developed a rash after showering.

Jessica Siben said that she and her son had rashes and chronic allergies that did not go away, and they treated them with medication.

Matt Woods, the cafeteria manager of Kapaa High School, said he also had a rash and complained that his routine cuts and abrasions took a long time to heal. 

"I encountered a problem that I had never encountered in my life," Woods said. "Shortly after I moved in, all these lumps appeared on my hands, chest and face. The doctor told me this was caused by subcutaneous bacteria. Since I moved in, these lumps on my body have not disappeared. I can almost Guaranteed to be caused by the shower."

Health experts say it is difficult to trace the cause of health problems to a clear source due to the myriad factors that can lead to the onset of illness.

Nevertheless, the unresolved water problem has caused some homeowners to regret that they have unknowingly bought a brand new house that they now consider the water quality to be problematic. Residents here said they felt powerless when they asked the housing developer DR Horton to correct the situation. 

"This is my first home ever, and I hope I won't buy it," Carreau said. She said she thought the water in the shower when she removed her appendix last year prevented her surgical wound from healing properly.

"And I can't even sell it," she added. "I want to sell it, I want to leave that place. But who would want to buy my problem?"

The homeowners of the Hooluana complex first complained to DR Horton, the largest housing developer in the United States, that their water appeared to be contaminated with some kind of bacteria in early 2019. At least 20 homeowners have lodged formal complaints.

The developer paid for water testing in these houses. In the laboratory results reviewed by Civil Beat, some tests found favorable conditions for bacterial growth.

In response to the water quality test results, Dr. Horton paid some fees to replace plumbing fixtures and chlorinate some household pipes. The builder also provides accommodation and food allowances for homeowners who choose weekend chlorination.

But a few months later, the homeowner said that the black mucus was back.

Documents obtained by the homeowner and reviewed by Civil Beat indicate that the developer concluded earlier this year that the source of the black mud problem is the municipal water supply. 

However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii Department of Health separately reviewed the compliance data of the Kauai Water Authority, which supplies water to the Hooluana sub-district, and both agencies determined that the water quality of the system meets all state and federal standards and is safe to drink. 

Miyahira from the State's Safe Drinking Water Division said that the EPA is actively investigating Hooluana's complaint. The Ministry of Health's investigation is also still open.

"The Ministry of Health does not have the necessary extensive background... to diagnose this serious problem, and we currently have no recommendations," he said. "But even when these are not under our jurisdiction, we will try to help the homeowner, because of course we don't want our friends and relatives, kupuna and keiki to drink that kind of water."

When the positive effects of the chlorination treatment disappeared, several homeowners continued to lodge complaints with the developer, but said that they did not receive any attention.

Some people say that the developer seems to be delaying until the one-year warranty period runs out, during which DR Horton will be held responsible for construction defects.

Dr. Horton did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

Although most residents have stopped drinking and cooking the water, most people said they are still using it for showering and washing clothes.

"Everyone who lives here knows that there is a problem," said Woods, who lives with his wife and 9-year-old son. "But we poured everything into it, bought this house, entered this place we always wanted, and then in order to achieve this goal, we need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to complete water tests, get lawyers, and everything else. Trying to compete with the United States One of the biggest builders contends, and you might even go bankrupt."

Although experts say it is almost impossible to know whether water pollution is the main culprit for residents' health problems, a couple who paid $70,000 to replace the plumbing system in their homes claimed that they no longer had any adverse effects.

Before moving into Huruana's home in 2018, Linda Sprengeler and Timothy Harris stated that they did not show up in the months after moving into the community Any health problems. 

But in their new home, Harris said he began to suffer from chronic pruritus. Sprengeler said she had persistent eye, ear, throat, lung, and yeast infections.

"At that time I realized that I had to fix it because I was often sick, and my doctor told me,'Look, Linda, I can't give you antibiotics every month,'" Sprengeler said.

When her doctor advised her to stop showering in the water affected by the black mucus problem, Sprengeler said that she and her husband connected a 75-foot drinking water hose to the outdoor hose bib and passed it through The garage enters the bathroom, where they use zippers to fasten it to the shower head.

Once they started showering with cold water from the hose, which bypassed their house's plumbing system, the couple said all their health problems disappeared. But they are still struggling to cope with the emotional aftershocks.

"All this traumatized me deeply," Sprengeler said. "I will never be the same as before."

The couple was very upset about the water problem. They paid $70,000 to replace the plumbing system at home with new copper pipes. Since then, they have been able to use water normally, although they said they still test their water regularly at their own expense.

All in all, Sprengeler said that she and her husband have invested nearly $170,000 to replace their plumbing system and repeatedly test their water quality. Although they have got rid of the black mud, they said that the other 75 homeowners in the Hooluana development zone are still dealing with it.

"Many of our neighbors are actually trapped," Sprengeler said. "They can't afford to repair the plumbing system, but they really can't sell their house before the plumbing system is repaired. So they just have to sit there and endure the pollution. They can't do anything about it."

Some buyers affected by the black mud problem have fewer choices than others.

Seven Hooluana buyers purchased affordable units through the County Home Buyers Program, which is available to workers who meet certain income requirements.

In order to ensure that houses sold at labor prices are not simply resold by buyers at higher prices, the director of housing in Khao Yai County, Adam Roversi, stated that the deeds for these houses are limited to a period of 20 years. The housing agency can choose to buy back the house. If the buyer chooses to sell, it will be sold at a predetermined price. He said this helps ensure that the county can resell these units to residents at an equally affordable price.

Buyers of these designated labor housing units must also actually occupy the house.

In addition to alerting subdivided developers and state and federal health regulators to the issue of black mucus, residents of Hooluana also raised their concerns with Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami and members of the county council.

Sarah Blane, director of the mayor’s office, said the county is studying the issue and will contact the developer on behalf of the Hooluana homeowner.

"We know that DR Horton is a long-standing national company in Hawaii, and we hope that the company will work with homeowners to resolve this issue," Bran said in an email.

At the same time, the question facing Hooluana home buyers is still: Is it safe to live here?

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