5-25-2023 12:52pm

City of Alamogordo and Cloudy Water Advisory

Chris Edwards Editor

Why is my drinking water cloudy?

The City of Alamogordo is putting residents on notice that they might see cloudy water coming from their taps. But they say the water should be safe.

The city says residents in the southwest portion of the city might be seeing milky or cloudy water, but it’s likely just ‘entrained air.’ If the water clears up after sitting for a few seconds, it’s a sign that air bubbles were clouding your water.

The city says entrained air is normal and harmless. But if your water doesn’t quickly clear up after sitting for five minutes, you should call the city at (575) 437-5991.

To learn more about the City’s clean, safe, drinking water view the 2021 Water Quality Report.

2021 Water Quality Report (PDF)

For a paper copy of the 2021 report, call 575-437-5991 or e-mail the Water Treatment Division at waterquality@ci.alamogordo.nm.us.

Once in a while, you get a glass of water, and it looks cloudy; maybe milky is a better term. After a few seconds it miraculously clears up! The cloudiness might be caused by the water in the pipes being under a bit more pressure than the water in the glass but is more likely due to tiny air bubbles in the water. Like any bubble, the air rises to the top of the water and goes into the air above, clearing up the water. Cloudy water, also known as white water, is caused by air bubbles in the water. It is completely harmless.

It usually happens with weather variations outside because the solubility of air in water increases as water pressure increases and/or water temperature decreases. Cold water holds more air than warm water. In the winter cloudy water is more prevelant then in the summer however it happens, water travels from the reservoir which is very cold and warms up during its travel to your tap. Some of the air that is present is no longer soluble and comes out of solution.

Also, water pressure has something to do with it being cloudy. The water in the pipes is pressurized to a degree (which helps to get the water all the way from the water tower to your home). Water under pressure holds more air than water that is not pressurized. Once the water comes out of your tap, the water is no longer under pressure and the air comes out of solution as bubbles (similar to a carbonated soft drink). The best thing to do is let it sit in an open container until the bubbles naturally disappear.