MACON, Ga. — UPDATE, 10:15 p.m.:
The City of Forsyth says all city water mains are running clear and all flushing has returned to normal schedule. They say there have been no additional reports of discolored water, but people should still conserve water.
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On Wednesday, Carolann Evans' water was running clear, but that wasn't the case earlier this week when murky water started showing up in her sinks and toilet.
"Sometimes we have issues with the water getting muddy. We usually know it's because they've been working somewhere or something is off at the reservoir," says Evans.
Turns out, that's what happened.
Forsyth City Manager Janice Hall says the recent drought caused the city reservoir's supply to drop to an extremely low level, so they began pulling from the county's water supply to supplement.
"We've had to use a connection that we don't use a lot," says Hall. "We installed this 4 or 5 years ago for this purpose so that if we needed extra water, we would have another water source, but it does reverse the flow, which breaks down the sediment in the pipes."
That reverse flow mixed with the sediment is what caused the brown water in some customers homes.
"It's usually taken care of within a day or so," says Evans.
Evans says her water returned to its normal clear, crisp color on its own. Hall says if yours hasn't, flush your outside faucets first, then run your inside faucets on cold.
"Flushing lines at home to get any of the sediment out should not increase the water bill at all. If anyone does see an increase in their water bill, they can certainly call city hall and we can adjust their bills," says Hall.
Water plant superintendent Craig Helms says crews flushed out all the main lines Wednesday morning and things should be back to normal.
Helms also says they are fully back on the city system and no longer having to pull from the county supply.
City officials are still asking you to cut back on water at home as the reservoir continues filling up.
- You can only water twice a week if you live there.
- Odd and even number homes need to take turns on watering lawns between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m.
- No watering is allowed on Monday, Tuesday, or Friday
- Homeowners should also avoid pressure washing, washing cars, or using any type of extended running water
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