Black-colored tap water on Mayo Clinic’s Saint Marys Campus has spurred the hospital to start using bottled water throughout the facility.
"Patients, visitors and staff should refrain from drinking the water or using ice from the ice machines.
Patients and visitors are being advised to drink bottled water," stated Sharon Theimer of Mayo Clinic’s media relations team via email this morning.
Rochester Public Utilities was notified mid-morning Monday about black-colored water coming from the taps and in the toilets on the hospital campus, according to RPU’s Tony Benson.
Visitors and staff are reporting that water in toilet bowls turned black on Monday.
RPU confirmed through tests Monday that the situation is restricted to Saint Marys campus and the surrounding homes and businesses on Second Street Southeast are not being effected, said Benson.
No cause for the discoloration has been identified yet.
While Mayo Clinic is recommending that people not drink the water, officials are saying that it is OK for washing.
"The water is suitable for hand washing, but hand sanitizers are being placed in bathrooms as a precautionary measure across the hospital," wrote Theimer.
Mayo Clinic has not addressed what this might mean for food preparation on the Saint Marys hospital campus.