Why is my water green?
Green water may be due to corrosion of copper plumbing. The green colour indicates that there are elevated levels of copper in the water. The problem only occurs where there is relatively new copper plumbing. Or when water is left to stagnate in the newly installed pipes following pressure testing and before occupation of a property.
An algae bloom can also cause green water. Properties with header tanks that are not properly maintained can be susceptible to this.
The other main cause is blue disinfectant in your toilet cistern siphoning back into the internal plumbing.
What to do if your water is green
Any questions?
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.