How does the water look coming out of your faucet at home? Is it clear?

  For some Henry County residents, it might not have been during the past week. But officials with the Henry County Water Authority say that a slight discoloration in the water of late is not a sign of reduced water quality.

  The Tussahaw Reservoir is currently experiencing turnover. That means warmer water that has been trapped at the bottom of the lake during the summer is rising to the surface. This is common when the temperature at the water’s surface is lower than the temperature as the bottom, as has been the case in recent days with cooler fall temperatures.

  According to HCWA officials, the warmer water from the bottom brings with it several minerals present in the lake, especially manganese. Most of the time the water treatment plant at Tussahaw can adjust its intake to withdraw the clearest water from the surface, but when the reservoir turns over it can affect all of the raw water being treated.

  “Typically, the effects of reservoir turnover on raw water clarity is negligible, so this recent incident has been very unusual,” said water production manager Eric Osborne. “The raw water withdrawn for drinking water production at the Tussahaw Plant during the last few days has had higher levels of manganese than normal.”

  The discolored water may have made its way to some customers in parts of Ola and Stockbridge, and it will require a few days for that water to flush out of the HCWA system completely, he added.

  “It’s not like having a cup of coffee that’s not quite right and being able to throw it out and refill immediately,” said Osborne. “It takes a while to flush parts of our system, because we’re talking about millions of gallons of water potentially serving thousands of customers.”

  Treatment chemicals applied during drinking water production help to lower the manganese levels of the raw water from the reservoir, while ensuring water quality at the tap; but when this substance is present in high concentrations, discoloration can occur. In this instance, once raw water in the reservoir stabilized from the recent reservoir turnover, the HCWA was able to lower the manganese levels to normal amounts.

  But officials have been quick to point out that manganese even at visible levels is not a health hazard and not an indication of poor water quality. It is prevalent in Georgia clay and found in water at non-visual levels every day. It is also in most multi-vitamins and is not harmful.

  As of last Friday, all water leaving the Tussahaw pant was back to normal levels of manganese and discolored water was expected to clear up as crews continued to flush lines in impacted areas.

  Should customers experience any issues with their laundry, here is a helpful tip from the HCWA: Once tap water at home has cleared up, rewash any discolored items using a cup of peroxide, a cup of white vinegar, normal detergent, and NO BLEACH.

  For additional information and updates, visit www.hcwa.com