Green Tint in Houston‑Area Tap Water Traced to Tropical Storm Edouard

When the rain finally let up after Tropical Storm Edouard thrashed the Trinity River Basin, a surprising sight greeted many Houston‑area residents: a faint, almost neon green hue swirling in their kitchen faucets.

People in Webster, La Porte, Pasadena and even League City began posting pictures on Facebook, asking, “Is this water even drinkable?” The odd coloration, they noted, was most obvious when the water pooled in a tub or filled a glass to a deeper level.

City officials were quick to respond. The Clear Lake Water Authority and Webster’s public works department explained that the storm’s intense runoff stirred up natural minerals and sediments upstream. Those particles raise what experts call “turbidity,” making water look cloudier—and in this case, a bit greenish—without actually compromising its safety.

“If you pour a cup, you might not see much, but once the water gets deeper the hue shows up,” said Selena Corrington, a resident of the Bay Oaks subdivision. She’s been testing the water herself, filling the bathtub twice in two days, and still sees the tint. Still, she admits it’s “a little unnerving” to be told the water is fine when it looks like it isn’t.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, high turbidity can be caused by runoff from heavy rains, which carries soil, organic matter and dissolved minerals into source waters. The Clear Lake Water Authority assures that all treatment steps—coagulation, filtration, and disinfection—are operating as designed, and that the water still meets or exceeds state drinking‑water standards.

While the green shade may linger a bit longer in some neighborhoods, officials say there’s no need to switch to bottled water. They’ll keep monitoring the system, and they’ll post updates on their social‑media channels as the situation clears up.