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Canadian Town Apologizes After Its Drinking Water Turns Pink

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The Canadian town of Onoway, in Alberta, has apologized to locals after its drinking water turned bright pink.

Residents started complaining about the water which suddenly changed color, on Monday night, CBC reports.

In a Facebook post, the CBC reports, town authorities said that after several hours, the color change was caused by a “stuck valve,” which allowed potassium permanganate, a chemical disinfectant into the water. The disinfectant is used to treat water and “residents were never at risk” the statement said.

“Could the town have done a better job of communicating what was going on yesterday to our community — absolutely, without a doubt,” Mayor Dale Krasnow said on the town’s website, according to the CBC. “We do apologize for that.”

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Write to Zamira Rahim at zamira.rahim@time.com