CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Two years after they discovered they were drinking treated sewage water, several Chula Vista business owners are still waiting to hear about a lawsuit they filed against the Otay Water District and the city of Chula Vista.

The business owners said they unknowingly drank and washed up with treated sewage for a year and a half. Tenants at the Fenton Business Center in Chula Vista first noticed a problem in August 2007 when the water in their toilets was discolored. They also noticed a bunch of the tenants in the center were getting sick. Some had nausea; others had stomach ailments that included long bouts of diarrhea that led to extreme weight loss.

An investigation revealed the entire Fenton Business Center was hooked up to recycled water instead of potable water. Recycled water is sewage that is treated and sent back out to be used for landscaping. Purple signs warn not to drink the water and wash your hands if you touch it.

The discovery forced most of the businesses to relocate, and several of them closed for good, including the Candy Bouquet owned by Angela Mason and Amy Wise.

"It's been destruction," said Wise. "It's been financial destruction. It's been emotional destruction."

The Mason and Wise filed a lawsuit against the Otay Water District and Chula Vista for damages late in 2007. Two years later, there is still no resolution.

"The frustration is the fact that there's never been any willingness for them to step up and really take responsibility," said Fred Taylor, the attorney for Wise and Mason.

10News spoke with Mark Watton, General Manager of the Otay Water District, and he said, "We'd love to settle those as well, but unfortunately those take a certain process."

Watton said the legal system isn't moving as fast as they'd like. He added the district had already settled with 80 plaintiffs already. However, more than 90 remain.

"The real frustration comes from the fact that over two years ago, Chula Vista and Otay said that they would resolve this because they were clearly at fault," said Taylor.

In the meantime, Mason and Wise said the financial hardship and the lawsuit has taken an emotional toll.

"My family's been through hell," said Mason.

It's been particularly hard for Mason. She said the stress of the lawsuit lead to her divorce and her stepdaughter, 21-year-old Lakiesha Mason, was killed in a random shooting in the Gaslamp Quarter in May.

Additionally, Wise and Mason are now being sued by Wells Fargo because they haven't paid on their original business loan.

"So we're the victims and we're getting sued?" Wise said. "How does that make any sense?"

Despite the troubles stemming from the tainted water at the Fenton Business Center, Wise and Mason are optimistic that maybe they'll be able to start a business in the future.

Taylor expects to have a settlement sometime next year.

Meanwhile, Otay Water said it learned a lot from the errors at the Fenton Business District, and Watton said it would never happen again.