Pink tap water puzzles residents in Canadian town

ONOWAY, Canada (KTRK) -- Residents of a small Canadian town were greeted with something unexpected when they turned on their faucets: fluorescent pink tap water.

"It started out with my neighbor asking me if I had pink water, and I'm like "I don't think so." A little bit later, our water became pink," resident Vicki Van Zanten Heale told CTV.

Van Zanten Heale posted photos of her pink water to a local Facebook group, and other neighbors began to notice the same issue.

According to Onoway Mayor Dale Krasnow, the city treats well water with potassium permangate, a chemical that can cause water to turn pink.

"We do a weekly flush and have done it for years and years, and nothing like this has ever happened before," he explained.

Krasnow said provincial health authorities were notified of the situation immediately, and the water was declared safe.

But residents like Shauna Wlikinson aren't satisfied with the the town's efforts to communicate with residents and reduce alarm.

"At the time, the town hadn't released anything to let us know if it was safe, so of course we avoided it," Wilkinson said.

"I offer a sincere apology that we didn't get something out there," Krasnow responded.