Residents of this small town got a big surprise when they turned on their taps in the morning. Bright pink water came rushing out, and it's still flowing.

Hundreds of people in the small town of Onaway found their faucets pumping fluorescent pink water, but officials say it's safe to drink.

Um, no thanks.

Residents ignored the assurances and largely stayed far away from the wacky water.

"It was weird. I just didn't use it. I didn't need water to make supper, but I'm sure other people had issues," said one resident.

The Onaway mayor Dale Krasnow posted a message saying the public was at no risk and the water was safe. He blamed the problem on a weekly wash of the filters at a water treatment plant that didn't quite go as planned.

Routinely the filters are washed with Potassium Permanganate, which is a widely used chemical in water treatment, but also can turn water purple or pink in large amounts.

Krasnow says that a pump appears to have gotten stuck, allowing the compound to get into the town's distribution system. The town is now draining its reservoir and flushing the system.

The provincial government has sent investigators to ensure that the problem doesn't happen again, and to make sure that protocol is being followed.

The mayor admits that the town could have done a better job explaining what went wrong, but says it's a situation they can learn from.

For the town's residents' sake we'll hope it never happens again.