A wealthy Napa County city famous for its wine and fine dining is facing an ongoing water crisis as taps run brown, leaving hoteliers reaching for bleach to clean sheets and at least one restaurant owner saying it’s an embarrassment to the tourism-focused community.

Residents and business owners in St. Helena, a city about 20 miles north of Napa, have complained for months over the city’s brown and often smelly tap water, which worsened in July when a bus ran over a fire hydrant. The city says the dirty water is safe but still advised people not to drink the discolored tap water following the hydrant leak. 

Rachel Williams, the owner of Ray Ray’s Tacos in St. Helena, said she now offers bottled water to guests and feels that having to explain why the local tap water is brown has smudged the wealthy city’s image.

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“It’s a luxury area that people are visiting, and when you … have to tell people my tap is brown, that’s embarrassing because it’s not my fault,” Williams said. “It’s something you have to explain to guests.” 

Patrice Viera, a general manager at Inn St. Helena, echoed Williams’ concerns as she has been forced to switch to bottled water and pay housekeepers more to clean bathtubs and linens that have deep-set stains from the tap water. 

FILE: A man samples a glass of wine next to barrels of aging wine in St. Helena, Calif.

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