SHELBY — Residents in Shelby are turning on their taps and getting brown water — and some say they are not satisfied with the city's explanation.
The City of Shelby's Public Works Superintendent Eric Kary says the department received calls about discolored water coming into town.
"Yeah. Last night, we got a couple phone calls, the brownish water coming into town and we didn't notice a whole lot in our wells or in the tanks," Kary said. But the following morning, they would see an increase in calls and experience the water color change firsthand.
(WATCH: Brown Water in Shelby — Residents want answers as city investigates)
According to the EPA, brown or reddish water is most commonly caused by elevated iron levels in the water supply. While the discoloration can be alarming, iron in drinking water is generally not considered a health hazard — though it can stain laundry, fixtures, and appliances.
Kary says the city believes increased demand during the recent heat is the likely culprit.
"Our best guess, I should say, is in the last couple days, being so hot that we pumped a lot more water to town and through town. So I think it's just stirring up the lines and that sediment's just kind of getting run through there. And we do have high iron count in our water," he said.
The city says iron levels are not higher than normal and the water remains safe for consumption. But for some residents, that assurance is difficult to accept.
Shelby resident Emily Lackey says she will not let her children drink the water.
"Oh, no, not at all. Especially with my kids. Yeah. I was filling our water pitcher. We don't have any water to drink," Lackey said.
I met with Lackey at the Toole County Library, where she described discovering the brown water had stained one of her favorite dresses.
"I was going to fill up our water filter pitcher, and I had run the water in there, and it was just all brown, and I was like, oh, no my laundry. So, I run over and, like, look through all my laundry and then, of course, this is like the lightest one in there. And it had like, stains all over," she said.
The city says it pulled water samples at all booster stations and buildings, which came back clean. Monthly required water samples from last week also passed. The dirty water is believed to be in service lines and can be cleared by running water through household faucets.
The city says it is actively working to determine the exact cause of the discoloration and hopes to have answers by the end of the week.
Residents with concerns about their water quality can contact the City of Shelby Public Works Department directly.
