Leaking Bend fire hydrant has gushed water for past month; neighbors fear remaining well will run dry

(Update: Adding video, comments from frustrated neighbors, info from Oregon PUC, OWRD)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A fire hydrant off Saddleback Drive in west Bend has been leaking water for the past month, and area residents say the water company who controls the hydrant's water flow has been unresponsive about the issue, which they say has led to nearby wells running dry.

Since June 12, the fire hydrant in question, whose water purveyor is Sun Country Water, has been leaking and hasn't been fixed, according to neighbors. The water leakage has resulted in nearby wells running dry for about 100 homes near Shevlin Park in west Bend, they say.

Since the hydrant issue arose, state regulators have been unable to get a hold of Sun Country Water's purveyor Dean "Butch" Rodgers.

One frustrated neighbor, Joe McMahon, told us, "It feels like you don't have a lot of options. Very little action is being taken."

The fire hydrant was still leaking Tuesday morning. According to neighbors, the issue arose after a pipe was patched back in early June. They said the hydrant was not inspected at the time of the patching, causing pressure to build up and eventually burst.

"What we were told was that this is very temporary, and that within a couple of days this would be remedied. And I'm recalling back to about 30 days ago," McMahon recalled.

We reached out several times to the company and its owner for clarification on the issue, but have not heard back.

A Google search shows an address on Nelson Road as the primary location for the business, but no website is linked.

When I went to the listed business location, it was just an open field, with no building or office in sight.

Another neighbor, John Blankfort, was not surprised by that.

"It's been obvious for quite some time that the company has financial difficulties, that they don't do what they say they are going to do," Blankfort said. "And I own property in the area, and I think it's decreasing my property value, and I want reliable water."

The leaky hydrant's water source is two nearby wells which get water from 800 feet underground. But according to neighbors, one of the wells hasn't been working since 2021, meaning those living nearby get their water from the same source.

Now, there's fear their remaining well will run dry. "We just all have a little bit of anxiety about when the inevitable is going to happen," McMahon told NewsChannel 21.

Oregon Public Utility Commission Docket UM 2280 shows a form by the Oregon Department of Justice that was filed in March to issue financial penalties to Sun Country Water due to lack of compliance dating back to last year. In the same docket are a number of public comments about Sun Country Water regarding billing practices and functions of their water utility dating back to April.

Government regulators indicated they haven't been able to get hold of the company or its owner since learning about the incident last month.

According to neighbors in the area, boil-water notices have not been put out by the company for homes in the area, as the water is not contaminated. Boil notices only have to be issued by water surveyors for contamination and when the quality of water is deemed too toxic to drink, and not for water pressure issues, according to Deschutes County Health Services Specialist Jeff Freund.

No codes or laws allow local governments to go after private water companies, or for water surveyors to put out notices for water leakages and pressure issues only.

Oregon PUC officials told us Tuesday that they are considering appointing a regent to take over operation of the water system in place of the current operator, due to the lack of response from Rodgers and unpaid fines issued by the state.

"It's really a story of regulatory failure," Blankfort declared. "Complete regulatory failure. They need to hold people accountable."

OWRD confirmed to us that they sent out notices to Sun Country Water to try and resolve water waste issues earlier this year.

After issuing a fine in June due to lack of compliance from the company, OWRD said it mailed out a final order to Rodgers on Monday.