Perhaps the most common cause of water color is the presence minerals. Red and brown colors are due to iron; black to manganese or organic matter; and yellow to dissolved organic matter such as tannins. The coloration both from iron and manganese and from dissolved organic carbon may occur seasonally.

Black, Blue, Pink or Purple Water from Mildew, Tank Leaks or Potassium Permanganate. Pink water is likely from potassium permanganate, a chemical used to oxidize iron and manganese. If too much is used your water will turn pink, and if far too much is used it will turn purple.

The pink colour stems from some potassium permanganate that escaped through a failed valve and into the drinking water distribution system, eventually ending up with the customers. Potassium permanganate has been used in drinking water treatment for more than 100 years.

Your water is pink because of an excess of permanganate present in your drinking water. However, a change in water quality, improper dosing, or mechanical failure may cause an excess of permanganate to be released into the drinking water during treatment, and even at very low doses will turn it pink.

To control Serratia marcescens in toilets

1. Clean the bowl thoroughly and spray chlorine bleach into the bowl and under the bowl rim.
2. Also add 1/4 cup of bleach to the toilet tank.
3. Let the bleach stand for 15 – 20 minutes.

The “pink mold” you may find in your shower actually isn’t mold, but a very common strain of airborne bacteria that’s found throughout the world. The bacteria, Serratia marcescens, cause that pink or even red slime you might find in your shower, toilet bowl, or around other water fixtures.

Pink mold is relatively easy to remove with cleaners you already have or with household supplies. Cleaners with chlorine bleach in them can help remove the pink stuff in the shower. Spray on the cleaner and allow it to sit for a while.

Soap and water alone won’t kill mold, but many common household cleaners do. You can get rid of pink mold in three basic steps. Other options for killing mold are 1 cup of borax (sodium borate) in 1 gallon of water, undiluted vinegar, or 3 percent hydrogen peroxide.

While it’s harmless to most healthy people whose skin may brush up against the pink mold in a narrow shower, it can cause various ailments (e.g. urinary tract or bladder infections) if it enters the body through the eyes or open wounds.

Symptoms may include fever, frequent urination, dysuria, pyuria, or pain upon urination. In 90% of cases, patients have a history of recent surgery or instrumentation of the urinary tract.

Scrub all areas affected by pink mold, using a loose paste of baking soda and dish detergent (in a 4:1 ratio). Rinse well. Spray with a half-and-half solution of water mixed with either bleach or vinegar. (Never use bleach and vinegar together; the combination creates toxic fumes.)

The EPA does not recommend using bleach to kill or remove mold, except in special circumstances. In fact, recognizing the bleach as a ‘threat,’ the mold will grow back even stronger.” When bleach is used on porous surfaces like drywall or wood, mold membranes will move deeper into the surface to avoid the chemical.

If the black mold growth in your home is small enough for you to treat alone, a simple mixture of bleach and water can help. Add one cup of bleach to one gallon of water and apply it to the moldy spots. Apply the cleaner to the mold spot and scrub away the growth. Be sure to dry the area thoroughly when you’re done.

• For a natural solution for getting rid of black mold, combine one part baking soda with five parts distilled white vinegar and five parts water in a spray bottle.
• Alternatively, you can use a chemical-based mold and mildew remover, all-purpose cleaners, bleach or dish soap.