ELSBERRY, Mo. – Elsberry Mayor Steve Wilch said he’s sorry residents need not worry about the discoloration of their water and that it’s safe for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

Fox 2/KPLR 11 has received calls this week from concerned residents about the tainted water flowing from their faucets.

Wilch said the discoloration was the result of flushing the system because some of the lines are more than a hundred years old. Residents were notified about the dates of the system flush with a message on last month’s water bills.

Alliance Water Resources, the company that provides water services for Elsberry, conducts system flushes three times a year.

The recent flushing began Wednesday with the opening of about a hundred hydrants and the process has since been completed, Wilch said.

Alliance Water Resources released the following statement to address residents’ concerns:

“While city hall received no customer complaints of water quality during flushing, based upon the information you have provided, we will do additional work to make sure the system has been fully cleaned. Anytime we receive a water quality complaint, staff flushes the water main in that area.”

Mayor Wilch said the town cannot afford to replace its aging water system, so they’ll continue with the system flushes.