Iowa Town Confused By Bright Pink Tap Water

Is this a Barbie promotion?

We've all seen dirty tap water, it tends to look foggy, off-white, or sometimes just straight gray or black. It's icky.

But as KWQC reports, the town of Shelby, Iowa is dealing with a more colorful issue. Their tap water is bright pink. And they're not thrilled about it.

Shelby resident Kara Robinson said:

Every time you flush the toilet, you turn the water on… pink. The water tastes like iron. Like you are drinking straight pennies. That’s what it tastes like. It is horrible. Our kids don’t even like to use our ice because that’s what it tastes like.

According to the city of Shelby, the water's color is due to potassium permanganate, and it's been tested and was deemed safe to drink. The issue started Saturday, when the city says that 2 of it's 4 water pumps didn't re-engage.

Shelby had water issues earlier this year. The water was brown in February, with high levels of manganese.

Residents like Robinson really want the city to step up. She said:

I think there’s a lot of hurt feelings between the citizens and the city council, and we all feel like our voices are not being heard. We are being run over. Nobody’s listening to what we are saying. There’s a lot of good citizens here. And we just want the same. We want to be taken care of just like anybody else does

Shelby Water Supervisor Chad Gordon said that even though the water flow was cut in half when 2 of the city's water pumps quit, the chemicals treating the water were not reduced.

There's no word yet on what the city plans to do next.