Photo: Contributed

Penticton residents in the area of McPherson Crescent are being warned not to use their tap water for drinking or laundry, due to orange colouring in the water.

That colouring is believed to be coming from sediments in the water main, according to City of Penticton public works foreman Ron Johnson.

"That's an old water main in there and there's sediment and rust in the water main, and something today stirred it up," Johnson said. "So, there's someone up there right now who's delivering notices to every house up there."

The notices are warning residents not to drink the water, or to use it for laundry, which Johnson says could cause stains in white materials.

Johnson says this issue isn't new for that particular water main, though usually the issue doesn't crop up this early in the year.

"I've got a video on my iPad that's from the last time we were there, and it was, without a doubt, it was, I would describe it as safety orange, the colour," he said.

Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., crews are set to head to the area to try to remedy the issue.

"Tomorrow morning, we're coming in and we're going to do a major high-pressure flush of the whole area," Johnson said.

"I'm kind of surprised, actually, that it still is turbid, but after tomorrow morning it's going to be clean. Because they are going to, like I say, it's going to be a high-pressure flush that's done up there and we're literally going to dump thousands and thousands of gallons out on the road until it runs clean."