The Lynchburg Fire Department answered a most unusual call on Feb. 3.
A creek had mysteriously turned white.
It was quickly determined that the creek, located near Westover Dairy, a dairy plant, actually had been dyed by “an undetermined amount of waste milk” that had been accidentally released into the creek.
“A citizen called 9-1-1 this morning to report the creek near the 1300 block of Hendricks Street was almost completely white in color,” the Lynchburg Fire Department wrote on its Facebook page on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Lynchburg is located in central Virginia, a little more than 100 miles west of Richmond.
It’s home to several colleges, including Liberty University.
The mystery of the white creek was quickly solved.
“Crews determined the cause was a clogged drain line at Westover, which had allowed waste milk to overflow into the storm sewer and then into the creek,” said the fire department.
The fire department continued, “The line was cleared and the overflow stopped.”
Water resource officials were notified about the incident, the department added.
And despite the concerning color of the water, everything is apparently fine.
“There is no public health threat,” said the Lynchburg Fire Department.
The fire department’s post was shared on Facebook dozens of times, evoking mostly amused reactions.
“With grocery prices these days, I’m running to the creek with a few gallon jugs!!” joked one Facebook user.
Others joked that now was the time to put some chocolate syrup into the creek to make the best of the situation.
Another Facebook user was more direct in his assessment of the situation, writing, “That’s got to stink.”
There were no reports of anyone crying over the spilled milk.