Residents of a small Colorado mountain town have been left aghast after seeing brown water flowing from their taps.
The Pinewood Springs community is expressing disappointment and demanding change as they are forced to rely on bottled water for daily consumption.
‘It’s not safe to drink. We can’t use the water; comes out of the faucets brown, comes out dirty,’ local John Koch told FOX31 of the brackish water coming from the town’s corroded pipes.
‘We have to buy all of our water now, we have to get gallon jugs,’ Koch added.
The Pinewood Springs Water District owns the area’s public drinking water system and operates its supply, treatment and distribution services.
The water system was first installed in 1973 and has not been updated in the past few years, according to KDVR.
After the recent issue arose, Pinewood Springs Water District Board Member Patty Peritz told the Problem Solvers the system is in an emergency state.
‘The district loses 60 percent of its treated water annually and putting that into gallons is 1.3 million gallons a year for the last two years,’ she told the publication.
In a January 22 meeting, troubled residents were told that the Water District is working with a consulting firm over compliance issues.
Residents in the Pinewood Springs community have been left aghast after seeing brown water flowing from their taps
According to Peritz, phase one of the system restoration project could cost about $3 million and address 25 percent of the needed repairs.
While funding has been secured by an Energy Impact Assistance Fund grant, residents can expect their water bills to rise to cover costs of the fix.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Pinewood Springs Water District for more information about the situation.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment also told Problem Solvers: ‘We regulate the Pinewood Springs Water District in accordance with all state and federal regulations and are working with them to resolve some water quality issues.’
According to CentralPlumbing.org, one of the main reasons for water to be brown is if it is flowing through a plumbing system made of galvanized iron pipes.
‘Over time, those pipes will corrode, leading to deposits such as rust and minerals in the water supply, which will cause brown water to come from your taps,’ the website explained.
Pinewood Springs’ dire situation comes months after residents in Shelby, Iowa were left with undrinkable water after officials warned against consuming any of the pink liquid flowing from their taps.
‘We have to buy all of our water now, we have to get gallon jugs,’ local John Koch said
The Pinewood Springs Water District owns the area’s public drinking water system and operates the drinking water supply, treatment and distribution services
After the issue arose, Pinewood Springs Water District Board Member Patty Peritz (pictured) told the Problem Solvers the system is in an emergency state
According to local Kara Robinson: ‘Every time you flush the toilet, you turn the water on… pink.
‘The water tastes like iron. Like you are drinking straight pennies. That’s what it tastes like. It is horrible. Our kids don’t even like to use our ice because that’s what it tastes like.’
Shelby Water Supervisor Chad Gordon later explained that the pink color was due to potassium permanganate in the water system.
The official stated that while the water supply had been reduced to half, the chemicals used to purify it were not – causing the unusual color.
According to Waterlogic, potassium permanganate is used to remove bacterial growth, dissolved iron minerals, toxic compounds, manganese and hydrogen sulphide in water systems.