SANTA FE, August 26 – City of Santa Fe Water has recently received an increase in discolored water calls and is actively working to address the source of the issue. Due to a combination of increased water availability in the Upper Santa Fe River from the monsoon season, and muddy water in the Rio Grande, the City of Santa Fe Water has utilized primarily Santa Fe River water to serve the demand for the past two weeks. The Water Division believes the uptick in instances of discolored water may be due to this shift in the primary source of production that has resulted in the water moving through some parts of the water system differently than usual.

It is likely that this change in water movement stirred up manganese deposits in the system, which was identified as the cause of the discolored water previously. Manganese does not represent a health threat, but addressing the discolored water is a priority and the Water Division has shifted production to reduce the Santa Fe River Water and increase production from the Rio Grande in the hopes of stabilizing the distribution system over the next 12-24 hours.

Direction to customers who experience discolored water in their homes:

• Turn on your cold water.
• Leave cold water running for about 5 minutes. If the water doesn’t clear, turn off your water and wait 20 minutes, then try again.
• You can capture the flushed water and use it to water plants, trees, and grass around your home.
• Still have cloudy water? Give us a call 505-955-4333 so we can send someone to check it!