Alerts

The Regional Water Authority is receiving reports of discolored water from areas in Hamden.

Water in your home can become discolored when there is an increased demand for water from the public water system. The discoloration is from naturally occurring sediment in the water mains being stirred up because of the higher flow of water through the mains than usual. Reasons for increased flow can be due to a local fire, flushing or our water system to maintain water quality or due to a high demand for water on a hot day, such as today.

Although the water may be visually unappealing, it is not harmful.  It is a personal choice whether or not to use the discolored water for flushing toilets, cleaning floors, etc. To drink lightly discolored water, fill a container, put it in your refrigerator to cool and let the color settle to the bottom. When ready to drink, use the clear water from the top of the container. You should use caution if you wash clothes, especially light colored ones, in your washing machine. Check the condition to your water to prevent staining.

Discolored water may be drawn into your household plumbing system; to check, turn on your cold water faucet to determine if your water is clear. To clean discolored water out of your home’s plumbing system, allow cold water to run from your bathtub faucet at full force until it is clear.