[UPDATE BELOW] It seems the water flowing from Turtle Bay taps has taken a seasonal turn, flowing a festive brown the same hue as a delicious pumpkin porter!
Except it's not a pumpkin porter. It's normal tap water, and residents around East 49th Street and 2nd Avenue are sort of hoping it will turn back clear so they can take a shower. A landlord in the area tells us that the murky water has been flowing brown since 10 p.m. yesterday, but residents were never notified of any water shut-downs scheduled at this time. (There was a shut-down scheduled for the previous night, but our tipster notes that to his knowledge, it had no impact.) Running the tap to clear the sediment has proved futile.
"I was forced to bathe myself in Sex Panther Cologne this morning to mask the atrocities of a night out in the neighborhood," he wrote, adding, luckily, that "no one has noticed the lack of shower and I have been promoted twice in the last hour."
A spokesperson for DEP said the color is due to water main maintenance, though he could not immediately confirm whether it was planned or the result of a break. He said the water should return to its normal levels of clarity "shortly." The city is home to more than 7,500 miles of water mains, many of which are more than 100 years old. It's not uncommon for them to need work, he said.
This, of course, is cold comfort to Turtle Bay residents hoping to bathe themselves before the weekend. At least it's supposed to rain later?
Update: Everyone just calm down—the dark, swirling tap water is perfectly safe, a DEP spokesperson confirmed. Just go ahead and take a big, refreshing gulp. No? For squeamish drinkers demanding clear water, the spokesperson said the department is opening hydrants in the area to help flush the discolored water.
