Red Water

water which has a reddish or brownish appearance due to the presence of precipitated iron and/or iron bacteria.

Definitioner

Iron Bacteria: organisms which are capable of utilizing ferrous iron, either from the water or from steel pipe, in their metabolism, and precipitating ferric hydroxide in their sheaths and gelatinuos deposits. These organisms tend to collect in pipe lines and tanks during periods of low flow, and to break loose in slugs in turbid water to create staining, taste and odor problems.
Iron: an element often found dissolved in ground water in concentrations usually ranging from zero to 10 ppm. It is objectionable in water supplies because of the staining caused after oxidation and precipitation, because of taste, and because of unsightly colors produced when iron reacts with tannins in beverages such as coffee and tea.
Bacteria: Unicellular micro-organisms which typically reproduce by cell division. Although usually classed as plants, bacteria contain no chlorophyll.