Ruidoso's colored water said OK to drink

RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) - There's some worry in the Ruidoso area about the reddish color of the water in the wake of the devastating wildfire there.

Some people think retardant got into the water supply.

Village officials say color has everything to do with the fire but not for the reasons many people assume.

It's not quite crystal clear, but officials say the red-tinted water turning up in Ruidoso is safe.

"We've been testing it," said Thomas Stewart, water production manager for Ruidoso.  "We've tried several different applications at the water plant, and we got the state to approve a new treatment technique."

Stewart said the color is a result of the high water demand fighting the Little Bear Fire as it burned through more than 44,000 acres and destroyed 242 homes north of the village.

"We used over a half a million gallons of water we supplied for this fire, so it put a big stress," said Stewart referring just to drinking water that was used, much of which was taken from the Grindstone Lake and Alto systems.

Some people have wondered if fire retardant seeped into the water supply. That's not the case, Stewart said adding the reddish color partly comes from sediment on the pipes.

"Once the velocity increases, this gets stirred up in there, and you've got part of the color is the sediment in the pipes," Stewart explained. "Since we have a lot of ductile, it's iron-colored."

Stewart said it's totally safe to drink.

"You're getting additional iron, that's what it is," he said.

Crews have been flushing fire hydrants in town to clean out the pipes and water.

Part of the problem, Stewart added, is that Grindstone Lake is lower than it's ever been. Water plant operators are currently installing a new water treatment technique because they've never taken water from the lake when it's been this low.

Stewart said the treatment will help get the water back to the clear quality the village is used to. Hydrogen peroxide will be injected to help clear the water.

The lake level lost two feet during the fire fight.

"We put two more additional wells that were out of service and just started pushing everything as hard as we could," Stewart recalled.

Crews are fixing four to five leaks a day as a result of increased water flow. Drinking water is still being used in the firefight, but Stewart said every day less water is used and the water quality will improve.

"Just bear with us a little bit more; we'll have it back to clean water," Stewart said.

Some people have complained about the water staining their clothes in the wash. Since the pipes have been flushed, Stewart said if you just run it through the wash again, the red stuff will come out.