The water is safe to drink.
That’s the message from the City of Fresno after residents in the northeast part of town reported discolored water. The issue came to the city’s attention with social media.
Public Works Director Tommy Esqueda said Thursday the city extensively tested the water in the lines and at five of the homes and found that the problem is not in the public water delivery system.
“So we are good from the plant and the wells to the street. We are good from the street to the meter. We are good from the meter to the house. It just seems like, in a few of these instances, something is happening inside the property,” Esqueda said.
The water in those homes did test positive for elevated levels of iron, copper and lead.
It is not clear what is precisely causing the problem, but the homes were constructed in a similar time frame, all in the same neighborhood. One possibility is that the water is picking up the elements while sitting for a long time in the pipes in the home.
Esqueda says the city will work with the home owners to determine what is going wrong, but any fix will be the property owner’s responsibility.
In the meantime, Esqueda recommends running the water until it turns clear. At which point it should be safe to drink.
