Officials: Pink water safe to drink
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on May 25, 2011 1:52 PM
Southern Wayne Sanitary District water customers whose water appeared pink in color have nothing to be concerned about according to water superintendent Mike Garris.
Garris said the discoloration was due to a slightly higher concentration of potassium permanganate in the water due to a failure within the water system. The pink water was first reported Sunday night and he said his staff worked around the clock to fix the issue. The repairs were completed Monday afternoon.
Potassium permanganate is used in water to remove iron from the supply and is also used in doctor's offices as an antiseptic. Garris said the pink water was no cause for alarm and was perfectly fine to drink.
"There's nothing wrong with it at all," he said.
A well failed to come on when it was supposed to, he said, which led to slightly higher amounts of the potassium in the water. The Southern Wayne Sanitary District serves customers in Dudley, Mar Mac and Grantham.