It all started about a month ago.  I noticed a thin black  line rimming the water in our toilet bowls.  Cleaned them, didn’t think much about it.  Maybe caused by a new cleaning product.  The dark  line returned a few days later, upstairs and down.  Cleaned them again.  Same thing.  Started getting a bit worried that something was wrong.  Bought a case of bottled water for drinking. Decided to call the water company.  They said I probably wasn’t cleaning the toilets right , but they’d send someone out to take a sample. Warning! Your water may be dirty. And it’s not because you’re a poor housekeeper.

Received a call the next morning.  Two trucks from the water company were out in front, and  said  they were flushing our water line.  That seemed like a pretty drastic response to my complaint.  Do you shut off the water and flush a line just because someone isn’t cleaning their toilets correctly?  Turns out there was, in fact, sludge in our water line.  What I was seeing was manganese. Scary.  Water company service attendant  assured me it wasn’t at a dangerous level. He said all water has some manganese.

How did our water line get filled with sludge?  Possibly, due to the boondoggle  at the military reserve building  across the street.  They’ve been drilling and jackhammering and digging for the last three months, at least.  May have shaken up our water line. We haven’t the slightest idea what they’re doing, but they’re not done yet.  Lots of expensive equipment and manpower at the taxpayers’ expense. Hope it’s worth it.

The lesson here is clear:  if you notice some strange discoloration in your toilet bowl, call the water company immediately,  and don’t let them try to blow you off.  I had to insist that they come out and test the water.  They grudgingly agreed.  Now,  I’ve learned that too much manganese in the water can affect your health,  so hope I called before we suffer any ill effects. Warning! Your water may be dirty.