"It's not a new problem": Omar Street resident on Oakland's water

A longtime Omar Street resident told the Oakland council discolored water has plagued the town for years and urged officials to bring in state chemists to study Broadford Lake.

GCN Staff· Oct. 22, 2026, 9:44 p.m. ·Updated Oct. 29, 2026, 9:09 p.m. ·1 min read

Original reportingGCN gathered this information itself, by contacting people and agencies directly. How we label stories

Correction, Oct. 29, 2026: An earlier version of this story said Garrett County News recorded the Oct. 20 Oakland Mayor and Town Council meeting. The recording was provided by Oakland Mayor Andrew Sauder.

"it's Not a New Problem" — Image: Garrett County News graphic

A longtime Omar Street resident told the Oakland council discolored water has plagued the town for years and urged officials to bring in state chemists to study Broadford Lake.

Mayor Andrew Sauder said iron and manganese spiked starting in late July, and that the August and September discoloration was "caused, I would argue, by operational issues" with how the plant's chlorine was dosed.

Audio provided by Oakland Mayor Andrew Sauder. Oakland Mayor and Town Council, Oct. 20, 2026.

The full meeting recording is in the Town of Oakland's Public Meeting Archive on OaklandMD.gov.

Sources: Oakland Mayor and Town Council meeting, Oct. 20, 2026; audio provided by Oakland Mayor Andrew Sauder; Town of Oakland Public Meeting Archive, https://aro365586039.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/PublicMeetingArchive/EvrpJ22RQUFBmXDukZkd1hwBULKi5rQxDCgRqYwAycPsDg?e=p7huLW See this story on Facebook →

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