Why is my water dark brown or black?
Dark brown or black water is usually caused by naturally occurring metal deposits in the water mains. Normally these deposits don’t affect anyone but can on occasion be disturbed, resulting in discolouring of the water.
This can occur during a sudden change in the direction or flow rate of water within the mains, such as when there is a burst. Or through an increase in demand; for example when the fire service connect to the mains network.
While your tap water is discoloured, don’t run the hot water tap or use dishwashers, washing machines or any appliances fed by your hot water supply.
What to do if your water is dark brown or black
1. Run the tap
Run the cold water tap in your kitchen for several minutes - this should clear the problem by itself.
2. Fill a jug
If not, fill a jug and leave it to stand until any sediment has settled to the bottom.
3. Use cleaned water
Pour the clean water from the top of the jug for drinking or cooking with.
If that hasn't fixed it
Ask your neighbours
If running the tap doesn't clear your water, check with your neighbours. If their water is clear, the issue is likely the pipework between the main in the road and your kitchen tap.
Check works nearby
Sometimes our work can cause unharmful bits to show up in the water. It's worth checking on the status of anything close to your home to see if that is the cause.
Contact us
If you've tried clearing the water as suggested, asking your neighbours and checking for works in your local area and still haven't been able to resolve the issue, then please contact us.
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What are Yorkshire Water doing to reduce the likelihood of discoloured water?
Yorkshire Water has over 31,000 km of mains in the ground and supplies water to almost five million people in the Yorkshire region. The Company has a process to prioritise where mains rehabilitation or cleaning/flushing may be required.
In areas where there is localised historic discolouration, Yorkshire Water operates a programme to flush clean the water mains. Flushing is a proactive and controlled way of removing the sediment which causes discoloured water and therefore reducing the likelihood of it occurring in the future.
We will always let you know when this activity is being carried out in your area.
The quality of water leaving the water treatment works continues to improve with more effective removal of naturally occurring iron and manganese from the water. Yorkshire Water will continue to replace cast iron mains and will continue to clean many of our large diameter trunk mains where mains deposits are known to be an issue.