Discolored Water

Discoloration of your tap water is usually a sign that there may be some activity that has disturbed the direction or rate of flow in the water main, such as use of a fire hydrant or a water main valve in your vicinity. Discolored water can also come from your own service line and the internal piping of your home. This would be evident when your home is the only one on the street experiencing a problem. Discolored water comes from internal pipe rust and sediment getting stirred up. When this happens, the water is still safe. However, the water may be unappealing, so we recommend that you wait until it clears before consuming.

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The water should clear on its own. Try running the cold water for 5 to 1 0 minutes from one bathtub faucet at a moderate rate to see if it is clearing or still discolored. If the water does not clear, let the water sit for an hour. Then run the water again for a few minutes out of the same fixture previously used. If the water remains discolored, please contact our Customer Service Department at (732) 793-0767. If your home is located on a dead-end line, it may take longer to clear up and our crews may need to come out and flush the main.

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Avoid running hot water if the cold water is discolored. This will minimize filling the hot water tank with discolored water. If you are washing clothes at the time, it is better to stop the cycle while it is full and wait until clear water is available to finish. If you allow the water to empty from the washing machine and go into the spin cycle, it is more likely to cause permanent staining to the laundry items.

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Every spring Shore Water Company flushes the water mains in the distribution system in order to minimize the occurrence of discolored water.