INDIANAPOLIS— Living without water is a harsh reality for people at an apartment complex in northeast Indianapolis.
It's happening at the Villages at Mill Crossing apartment complex where two tenets say it's been over a month without working water.
Many at the complex are filling up jugs of water to bathe, drink and boil.
"It's hard to function without water and it's rather inhumane," said Lisa Stewart, resident. "It's really stressful because I have a two-month-old baby, one and two year old to bathe and feed."
Lisa Stewart is one the the tenets without water who moved in the beginning of July. She says she was never warned of the water issues when she moved in and is still expected to pay rent.
The Marion County health department visited Stewart's unit along with another in the beginning of July and issued the complex two emergency no water violation notices.
The apartment complex was required to comply within 24 hours and the health department says that didn’t happen.
WATCH | Problems at troubled apartment complex continue
Now the health department has filed two court cases against the property both still waiting for dates to be assigned and it sent us this statement:
"As of today, the Marion County Public Health Department has two pending no water Emergency Notices of Violation for E. Mill Crossing Drive," said Curt Brantingham, Marion County Public Health Department.
"An emergency NOV means that a property owner/manager must bring the cited violation into compliance within 24 hours, or the case will get filed for court."
Brantingham says no water is typically an emergency situation and that neither were brought into compliance within 24 hours of the emergency NOV being issued.
The property manager sent us this statement in part regarding the situation:
"We are aware of the ongoing low water pressure issue affecting our residents and are working diligently to resolve it as quickly as possible. The initial repair date for the low water pressure valve was scheduled for July 16, 2024. However, once the water was turned off and the technician began the repair work, it was discovered that there was more damage than anticipated."
The manager says it will issue appropriate credits once the issue is resolved and the parts needed aren't locally available and would take four to six weeks to arrive.
Meanwhile, we spoke with another about how living conditions have been over the last month.
"You never really know what you don’t have until it’s gone," said Nia Taylor who is facing the problem as she helps her girlfriend and five kids. "The kids just started school so we are rotating pots of water putting them on the stove so the kids can take baths."
