Towns folk in tiny Onoway, Alberta , Canada got quite a surprise when they turned on their faucets on Tuesday.
Bright pink liquid poured from the tap instead of the clear water they were used to. Of course, the town hall was flooded (pun intended) with calls! Finally, several hours after only telling residents that the water was safe to drink, they released a statement.
"Yesterday, during normal line flushing and filter backwashing, a valve seems to have stuck open allowing potassium permanganate to get into the sump reservoir," the town said. "The reservoir was drained, however some of the chemical still made it into the distribution system."
The mayor followed that up with an apology. The water is now back to normal.