Town in Canada has pink tap water after water treatment chemical mistake

Residents of Onoway, Canada got a surprise on Monday when the town's tap water began to run pink.

The mayor of the town, Dale Krasnow, said in seemingly apologetic statement to locals that the questionable color of the water did not pose any health risks to the public but felt that his office "could have done a better job communicating what was going on."

Check out the water for yourself:

The mayor said the odd hue was an unfortunate side-effect of a likely valve malfunction at the town's water treatment plant.

As a result, high levels of potassium permanganate, a common water-treatment chemical, the Onoway mayor said, seeped into the public's distribution lines.

"While it is alarming to see pink water coming from your taps, potassium permanganate is used in normal treatment processes to help remove iron and manganese and residents were never at risk," Krasnow said.

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But local reports say complaints from residents were mainly about "being kept in the dark" -- residents were upset that they did not receive an explanation of the neon pink color until Tuesday morning.

"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," the mayor said.

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