The problem is affecting the Chadwick Island community of Toms River, and folks there might say that their water company is pumping iron, or at least elevated levels of iron.
"I wouldn't go in this water," said Ed LeFebvre. "Wouldn't drink it, wouldn't give it to the dog."
LeFebvre, of Lauderdale Drive, is talking about the green water that's been plaguing Chadwick Island for weeks.
You can't see it coming out of the tap or in a glass of water. It's only visible when there are large volumes of water like in this bathtub.
"I've seen it looking almost like a martini, like an olive in a martini glass," said LeFebvre. "It's green, similar to the water in the Barnegat Bay at low tide.
"We're paying for clear water," said neighbor Elsa Hill.
Hill showed me the water in her backyard hot tub.
"I would describe it as a gray, murky gray-green color," she said. "Six times my husband has drained it and refilled it. We've put chemicals in it, trips to four different pool and spa places."
NJ American Water Company supplies Chadwick Island. No one was available for an on-camera interview, but a spokesman tells us the green tint to the water is the result of elevated levels of iron.
The water company says the color may look funny but it does not pose a health risk. A spokesman said you'd have to drink 6 gallons of water to equal the amount of iron in one multi-vitamin.
"I would say I wouldn't take a chance," said Hill. "Why would i drink that?"
NJ American Water says it's been trying to find a location for an iron removal facility and the green water is a matter of aesthetics, not safety.
"Yeah? YOU drink it," said Ed LeFebvre.
Until things change, Lefebvre is relying on bottled water for drinking, while Elsa Hill won't set foot in her hot tub.
Neighbors are organizing to fight the supplier for water that looks good--not green.
