Couple has the blues from potentially contaminated tap water
A couple is distressed by the blue tap water in their complex.
Water is the most important need. It carries helpful nutrients and oxygen to your entire body, therefore it becomes a serious health risk and a large concern for it to be the reason you get sick.
Jessica and Kealan Miller recently complained about the tap water in their complex in Wilgeheuwel being blue.
It seems quite random for water to be a different colour but according to Jessica, it has happened three times already where they have encountered their tap water being blue especially when they have pipes bursting regularly and water being cut off.
“When the water is off, we still have a trickle and it is blue. The water is off every two weeks at least as the area is struggling with pressure problems and pipes bursting regularly,” she concluded.
This has caused significant problems with the sliding of paving in their complex and according to her, it will have to be done at their body corporate’s expense. A few water-savvy members in the group chat from their complex indicated that it is copper sulphate. Copper sulphate is an inorganic compound used to kill fungi and bacteria in crops. When used in water, it can be used as an algaecide water treatment to rid ponds, lakes and swimming pools of excess algae. It can also be used for cleaning water pipes. It is considered potentially hazardous to those who consume it and is harsh to the skin.
“Joburg Water (JW) tested the water coming out of the hydrant of the complex and the tests came back indicating copper sulfate. JW visited the complex again yesterday to test the samples and the residents. We await further results of the tests,” Zoné Hughes, the Ward 85 councillor said.
According to Hughes, JW says it is a man-made chemical that will not naturally occur in water systems, meaning someone must have put it there.
When JW did the testing, they realised that the complex pressure was set too high which also resulted in the numerous bursts happening within the complex in the last couple of weeks.
“They say the bursts might be the reason for the copper sulfate as the Millers’ water only turns blue every time there would be a leak,” Huges concluded.
JW stated that because it is their house, it must be their water filter or something else causing the issue. First, it was their filter then it was the backflow. The conclusion at the moment is possibly the backflow from another house where they have a toilet block in their cistern.
The gasket blew when JW took the water sample due to the pressure and they replaced the gasket when the pressure was still not fixed.
“The pressure is so high it bursts the pipes which causes it to be low pressure because the water is leaking out under the bricks,” Kealan added.
Councillor Leah Knott was contacted and tried to get someone to test the water, and even received a call from a technician saying they would come and test the water again, but they have not responded since then.
The Roodepoort Northsider contacted Knott, JW and Randir Singh, JW’s regional manager. By the time of publishing, no response has been received. As soon as a response is forthcoming, an update will be published.
