It’s a known fact that the quality of Mbombela’s drinking water is, more often than not, exceptional.

Also read: Tests clear drinking water in Lowveld

But, once in a blue moon something out of the ordinary happens, with which Anita Flanagan will agree.
Upon arrival at a local business at about 07:00 on Monday in Rapid Street, around the corner from Silulumanzi’s Water Treatment Plant, Flanagan was shocked when she opened the faucet to be greeted by bright blue water. She was about to fill the kettle and boil it for her morning coffee.

After a while, the water became turbid, and then clear again.
After reporting it to Silulumanzi, Flanagan took to social media to share this strange phenomenon and to warn others. Many compared it to mouthwash, slush puppies or toilet cleaner, and she claims that it burned her skin.
No one else in the area had reported similar issues and, according to Richmond Jele of Silulumanzi, it was an isolated incident.

“Samples were taken and sent to an independent laboratory for analysis. An engineer has been deployed to the site to conduct further investigations on site,” said Jele, the promised feedback when tangible information becomes available.

https://www.facebook.com/anita.flanagan.73/videos/516851045559809/

Many reputable plumbing websites agree on one thing. Because it is such an isolated incident, it seems as if blue water is caused by the corrosion of internal copper piping. It could be caused by the release of copper from copper pipes into the water. Should this be the case, it is a complex problem, as elevated levels of copper can have health implications.

According to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), while low levels of copper are essential for good health, there is a specified health limit of 2mg/L for copper levels in drinking water. Water with a copper level greater than this should not be consumed or used for food preparation.

Water with levels this high is usually seen as cloudy or blue/green, with blue particles present.
Sometimes, after boiling the water in a kettle or saucepan, the water or particles may change to black/brown and settle on the water surface.