Water may look unappealing, but still safe to drink
Residents and businesses in upper Queen Anne and in some parts of Magnolia and Interbay may experience discolored water temporarily beginning Thursday evening, July 26.
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) crews have been performing maintenance on a major pipeline that supplies drinking water to those neighborhoods.
The pipeline has been out of service for the last six weeks and will be brought back online the evening of Thursday, July 26. When this occurs, discolored water, which is caused by iron rust particles loosened from the inside of the pipe during maintenance, can result at times until the system clears.
“We are doing everything possible to minimize the impact of discolored water on customers,” said Dave Muto, Water Operations Acting Director. “The pipe has been cleaned and disinfected, it’s been sitting full of water to allow any remaining sediments to settle, and we are bringing it back in service at night when water usage is low.”
The City’s water continues to be safe to drink. If customers do get discolored water, it may look unappealing, so we recommend that they wait until it clears before drinking it. We also recommend that customers with discolored water avoid using hot water and operating their dishwashers and washing machines until their water runs clear.
Customers, who experience discolored water, should run their cold tap water for 3 to 5 minutes. If the water isn’t clear, they should shut off the faucet and wait an hour before testing the water again. If the water still isn’t clear, customers are advised to call SPU’s Operations Control Center at (206) 386-1800.