The Carson City Public Works Department is doing some annual maintenance to its water mains. Every spring, crews flush the lines to remove minerals and sediment. When more water is pumped through the lines, it can stir up the sediment and change the water's color.
"It is stained with things like iron and manganese and other minerals that discolor it and turn it that brown color," Kelly Hale, Environmental Control Supervisor for the Carson City Public Works Department said.
Many Carson City residents were not aware of the flushing program, and were concerned when they turned on their faucets.
Adam Moore and his neighbors all had a similar experience, and worry that the water is contaminated.
"At the time, it was all clouded brown, almost looked like Coca-Cola," Moore said. "It was more than appalling. It's something that you don't expect to see in a modern day society."
Moore said his water turns a brown color, every few months, which can happen anytime a fire hydrant is used because it stirs up the sediment. He also say the water has a bad odor a couple times a month.
"On a regular basis, we get rotten egg smells in our house," Moore said. "It's so strong that from the outside of the home, it smells like you have a gas leak."
Hale says some of the wells in Carson City have high quantities of sulfate, which is likely the reason for that smell.
"That sulfate sits in the lines, then it creates a condition where it turns into sulfur dioxide, which creates that rotten egg odor," Hale said.
Hale says that is one more reason to flush the system, which normally happens every spring. However, the drought kept the city from doing it for the past few years. Flushing one water line can use about 1,000 gallons of water, and the Public Works Department decided it was more important to conserve water than flush the lines. Hale says the delay means there is even more build-up, this year, which makes the water look even more murky.
Moore says he will not allow his children to drink the water, despite the city's assertion that the water is safe.
"We had bought bottled water that day because my kids couldn't brush their teeth," Moore said. "We couldn't cook dinner. We've been using bottled water since."
"The water is not hazardous to your health, but it is very unappealing and I can certainly understand why he would not want his kids to drink that," Hale said.
Still, Hale says residents should not do laundry when the water is brown because it can stain white clothing. Normally, the brown water only lasts from a few hours to one day. Once the flushing is done, she says the water quality is better for Carson City residents.
"It also helps to clear out disinfection byproducts that collect in the system and make sure the water is more fresh for people and it actually improves water quality in the long run," Hale said.
When the flushing program is happening, the Public Works Department notifies residents who have land phone lines. Residents who only have cell phones or email are encouraged to head to Carson.org to sign up for notifications. That will allows them to find out when certain emergencies or maintenance is happening in their neighborhoods, through phone calls, text messages, or emails.
