Residents of Coal Grove, Ohio, woke up to a bright pink surprise when they turned on their water. Local authorities were alerted and issued a statement apologizing for the situation, while explaining that a pump malfunction at the water treatment plant resulted in too much Sodium Permanganate being released into the distribution tank, causing the discoloration. Strange enough, they claim the water is safe to drink, as laboratory samples showed that the sodium permanganate levels were below the health risk guidelines of the EPA. Read more for a video and additional information.
“While only about seven pounds of sodium permanganate is used daily, more than 100 pounds of it went into the system in a very short time span, causing the water to turn pink. Sodium permanganate is used to remove the iron and manganese from the water. By oxidizing them, it turns them into larger particles that can be caught by filters, before the water is sent through the pipelines,” reports Oddity Central.
