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The city council of a Canadian city has apologized after an error turned the city’s water completely pink.
Residents of Onoway, Alberta, complained to municipal officials when the color of the water coming out of the tap changed on Monday.
Mayor Dale Krasnow assured there was no health risk to residents, but admitted the local administration could have “done a better job of communicating what was happening.”
According to the mayor, the color change was a common side effect of the chemical treatment with potassium permanganate, carried out before the water was released for consumption.
The local administration explained that potassium permanganate entered the tank following the failure of a valve during the process of draining and washing the filters. “The tank was emptied, but some chemicals entered the distribution system.”
Although it is alarming to see pink water coming out of faucets, potassium permanganate is used in normal treatment processes to help remove iron and magnesium from water and residents have never been in danger, assured officials of the Canadian city.
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According to the World Health Organization, potassium permanganate can cause skin irritation, but no reactions to this chemical have been recorded.
The main complaints were that people were not warned and did not understand what was happening.
“This is a situation that we will definitely learn from. We will develop a strategy for a better response in terms of communication if this or something similar happens again in the future,” Mayor Onoway said.
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