Q. What colour is water?

A. . Ordinarily we think of water as being blue in colour. When artists paint bodies of water, they generally colour them blue or blue-green. While water does reflect blue-green light, it should appear colourless in the home.

Ideally, water from the tap should have no colour. If such is the case, there are certain foreign substances in the water. The colour in water is primarily from vegetable matter and is extracted from leaves and aquatic plants.

All surface waters possess some degree of colour. Like some shallow wells, springs and an occasional deep well can contain noticeable colouring. In general, water from deep wells is practically colourless.

Highly coloured water is objectionable. While colour is not a factor of great concern to your health, excessive colour lacks appeal from an aesthetic standpoint in potable water. Further, it can cause staining. In general, colour is reduced or removed from water through the use of filtration techniques.