Manganese is the main villain causing brown water to flow from your faucets today, says the Fayette County Water System. The other villain in parts of Peachtree City is just plain old mud.
But don’t sweat the brown stuff, says Floyd Jones, Fayette County clerk, in a news release late Tuesday afternoon. It won’t hurt you, he says.
They’ve shut the valve controlling the manganese-tinted water, Jones said, and they’ve just shut off the water in the Golfview Drive area of Peachtree City, where a broken pipe let in lots of mud.
The Golfview Drive waterless problem is expected to be over by Tuesday night, Jones said.
Here’s the county news release in its entirety:
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Fayette County Water System Responds to Instances of Discolored Water
Fayette County, Georgia, August 6, 2013 – Certain areas of the county began seeing discolored water coming from their taps over the last couple of days.
The Fayette County Water System reported that the issue stems from the South Fayette Water Plant. The discoloration issue resulted from a problem with treating the manganese in the raw water.
Water System Director Tony Parrott ordered the valve closed at the plant until the problem is resolved.
The operator in charge at the South Fayette Water Plant, Bill Stevens, stated that the finished water levels of manganese did not exceed the official standard.
Water System staff has begun flushing the hydrants in affected areas. It is possible that the Water System could open the valve to City of Atlanta water to meet demand.
Since the valve to the South Fayette Water Plant has been closed, the issue is not expected to worsen and will eventually bleed out of the system.
Additionally, there was a water main break in Peachtree City on Golfview Drive. Mud from the water main break worked its way into the piping system; therefore, workers had to shut off the water in the area to make repairs.
The water is expected to be back on later today.
Residents with questions are asked to contact the Water System at (770) 461-1146 or water@fayettecountyga.gov.
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According to Wikipedia, manganese is an element with both health and industrial uses. In trace amounts, it is present in many foods and is vital to human health. In much larger amounts, it can be poisonous to mammals, including humans.
