Try not to drink that brown water coming out of your faucet, the city's emergency management department warned Rockaway residents on Friday.
The agency tweeted Friday morning that there was going to be planned water work on the peninsula that same day, and if there's any sign of discolored water, residents should call 311.
The link provided navigates to a Tumblr blog, managed by the Department of Environmental Protection, explaining why the discoloration of water occurs.
The Department of Environmental Protection manages the city's water supply.
The water pipes under roadways are pressurized, and the flow of water can cause iron particles which have settled to the bottom to loosen, resulting in brownish/red/orange water, the blog says.
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Brown water from rusty pipes is typical and not harmful, the agency said in its post, but residents should avoid drinking it nonetheless.
There was more information on the city's official Twitter page on Thursday night about engineers re-activating a large water main along Rockaway Boulevard Friday, followed by a link leading to a post detailing the planned work's side effect of discolored water in the area.
One of the city's wastewater treatment plants is located in Rockaway Park and receives wastewater from the more than 90,000 New Yorkers living in or visiting the Rockaways. It has been operating since 1952.
