Due to increasingly low water levels in the West Street Power Plant’s reservoirs, the Wading River Power Plant had to be restarted on Wednesday.

“The construction of this facility was necessary to ensure an adequate supply of water for firefighting, drinking water and sanitation purposes,” city officials said. “As soon as the reservoir system can meet demand without the Wading River, it will be decommissioned.”

Since the Wading River power plant was offline for nearly two years, the water has become discolored, caused by debris being stirred up from the water main, authorities said.

The sediment is made up of naturally occurring minerals in the water that build up in the pipes over time. While there is no health risk, the discoloration can cause stains on laundry, especially when bleach is used, city officials said.

Residents are advised to avoid using bleach if the water in their home is discolored.

Avoid using hot water if your water is also discolored, as it may take additional time for deposits in the hot water system to dissolve.

Any discoloration is temporary and should disappear with normal use.

“Our crews have been flushing the hydrants to more quickly remove the discoloration from the system and will continue flushing until the system is back to normal operation,” officials said.