Councilman Lee Accuses Mayor of "Inaccurate Information" Regarding Local Water

On Thursday, August 14, Salem City Councilman Randy Lee announced on Facebook that he had hand-delivered a letter to the office of Mayor Justin Green regarding the ongoing concerns about the water supplied by Salem Water Works. The letter is included in its entirety below.

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"Mr. Mayor,

"I write to inform you of my growing concerns with regard to the quality of water being provided to our residents and your administration’s handling of the issue.

"At the Salem Board of Public Works and Safety meeting that was held on Monday August 11, 2025 there were discussions about the ongoing issues with water quality. Specifically, you stated that several surrounding water companies were experiencing the same taste and odor issues.

"While I want to trust your comments, it is important to the people that elected me to ask questions. Therefore, I contacted three of the water corporations you specifically identified as having similar issues (Stucker Fork, Tri County and Patoka water companies) to see what measures they are taking to combat these problems. To my surprise, each of these companies denied having the issues we are having. In fact, each of them stated they would offer their services to help us fix our problems. This raises serious questions about the accuracy of information being given to our customers.

"The Salem Water Task Force was created last year because of a lack of confidence and transparency in the water department which has been ongoing for several years. Councilman Pennington was the Chair of that committee and compiled a comprehensive final report that identified several detailed inefficiencies with operations, oversight, chemical purchases, state fines and water rates; all of which viable solutions were offered for each of these problems. Despite these efforts, the Board of Public Works and Safety, including yourself have failed to take action to address any of these issues.

"Our residents and water customers deserve the best possible product we can deliver at the most cost-effective price. We must restore their confidence that we are providing safe, high-quality and affordable water to them. Therefore, I am asking that you immediately make a public statement that the information you provided Mondays was not accurate. Additionally, I ask that you without hesitation, immediately begin implementing the recommendations of the Water Task Force.

"Sincerely,

Randy Lee

City Councilman District 4"

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The Washington County Times reached out to Councilman Lee to request the Salem Water Task Force report that he referenced in his letter. Councilman Lee stated that he will supply a copy of the report by this evening (Thursday).

As of the publishing time of this article (10:54 am), Mayor Green has not released a statement.

This story is in development.