Beware the brown water

In the comments section of our post about last night’s big fire, a couple of neighbors that live nearby have noted that the water in their pipes is coming out brown.

So if you also live nearby, maybe test it out real quick this morning before blindly jumping in the shower, or downing your morning big glass of water.

[Photo by Lindsey Adler]

2 Responses to “Beware the brown water”

  1. Evan says:

    My water was brown for a while after they changed out the water main under the street. I know they’re doing that all over the place, so maybe it’s a coincidence, or dredged up by the hoses? Probably just rust, and FWIW mine went away after a day and filling a couple buckets.

  2. Disclaimer: I am an employee of the SFPUC. For those who are experiencing discolored water, try running your cold water from a faucet (preferably lowest point i.e. garage if you have one) for a minute or two and see if that clears it up. If not please call 311 to report your issue and they will have a water quality inspector contact you. When a fire of this size occurs hydrants need to be opened up, pressure increased etc and this can sometimes cause sediment to be stirred up and thus cause discoloration.