‘Freak occurrence’ causes rusty water in Mineola

Mineola residents experienced rust in their tap water on Thursday, after a valve opened and released it into the water system, the village said.

A village official called it a “freak occurrence,” adding that nothing toxic entered the system.

“It was rust, not anything that wouldn’t be found in the water system,” the official said.

Mineola is home to about 6,000 residential and commercial water customers, though the village said only a portion of them were affected. To flush out the rust, residents were told to run their tap water until it was clear.

“It was just a question of how long it took people to flush out the lines in their homes,” the village official said.