On Wednesday, residents of a town in Canada were shocked to find bright pink water coming out of their sinks and showers.
Residents of Onoway, Alberta — a town just outside of Edmonton — posted photos and video on social media showing the tinted water flowing out of their taps.
The hue of the water varied from a slight pinkish hue to a neon purple depending on the water’s temperature and concentration.
Town Mayor Dale Krasnow maintained that the water was safe and the public was not at risk and blamed the strange color on a stuck valve in the town’s water distribution center.
It's not Cream Soda or pink lemonade but a sample of what is coming out of the water taps in Onoway. @ctvedmonton pic.twitter.com/hvxJm3eZuR
— Susan Amerongen (@SusanCTV) March 7, 2017
Shades of Ghostbusters II, here.
Bright pink tap water alarms residents of Alberta town. https://t.co/caRHtt981v pic.twitter.com/k8s4PsQi9U— Martha Leah Nangalam (@mlnangalama) March 8, 2017
“We are still assessing what exactly happened but it appears a valve may have stuck allowing the potassium permanganate to get into our sump reservoir and thereby into the Town’s water distribution system,” Kransow wrote in the statement.
Potassium permanganate is a chemical compound commonly found in water systems and medications, and combines with water to turn it pink or purple.
According to Krasnow, the stuck valve allowed the potassium permanganate to enter the water system. Kransow says the city is currently draining its reservoir and flushed its distribution lines, which should fix the problem eventually.
Krasnow also apologized for the town’s lack of communication throughout the matter.
“Could the Town have done a better job of communicating what was going on yesterday to our community – absolutely, without a doubt. And we do apologize for that. This is a situation we can certainly learn from and develop a strategy for better response and communication should we ever face the same or similar situation in the future,” he said in his statement.
By Tuesday evening, officials with Alberta Environment and Parks said that the homeowners would need to run their taps and sinks for a few moments in order to completely flush the remaining chemicals.
The latest information from the Town of Onoway re: pink water @ctvedmonton pic.twitter.com/LyBRxR0EK8
— Susan Amerongen (@SusanCTV) March 7, 2017
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
