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Canton Says Water is Safe, Despite Discoloration

The Canton Water Department's Tyler Converse says the city is taking precautions by increasing pumping from a different wellfield.
Tim Rudell
/
WKSU
The Canton Water Department's Tyler Converse says the city is taking precautions by increasing pumping from a different wellfield.
Canton Water Superintendent Tyler Converse
Credit Tim Rudell / WKSU
/
WKSU
The Canton Water Department's Tyler Converse says the city is taking precautions by increasing pumping from a different wellfield.

Canton water officials are assuring residents that water coming out of their tap is safe to drink, despite any discoloration.

The city reduced the amount of water it was pumping from its Sugarcreek wellfield following a spill of drilling mud in April from nearby construction on the Rover Pipeline. The wellfield, is a main source of drinking water for the city.

The city’s water superintendent Tyler Converse stresses the discoloration is not caused by the spill, but rather by increased pumping from a different wellfield.

“Any possible contamination from this dumping of the drilling mud by the plant has not entered or has not impacted, directly at this time, any part of the Canton water system. We’re just acting in an abundance of caution to prevent it.”

He says the discolored water in an area west of Canton is caused by an increase of the amount of iron sediment.

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Mitch Felan is a news intern for WKSU. He is a multimedia journalist with experience in print, television, radio and visual journalism. Felan is a junior at Kent State University, working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Multimedia Journalism. During the school year, Felan works for Kent State Student Media in TV2, The Kent Stater, and KentWired. He will be serving as the Digital Director for Kent State University's Student Media Newsroom in the Fall.