WESTLAKE, Ohio — Area residents recently posted concerns on social media about the quality of their tap water because it had an unusual yellow tint.

Local officials, including Bay Village City Councilwoman Lydia DeGeorge, posted reassurances on Facebook to constituents that the water was safe to drink.

She said the discoloration resulted from low oxygen levels in Lake Erie.

DeGeorge suggested that concerned residents contact the Cleveland Water Division, which supplies water throughout much of Cuyahoga County.

The City of Cleveland Water Division said that some customers in the northwestern portion of their service area might have experienced discolored water this week (week of Aug. 3).

“This is due to low levels of oxygen in Lake Erie, causing excess minerals to dissolve into the water entering our Crown Treatment Plant,” Danielle Miklos, manager of communications for the Division of Water, wrote in an emailed statement.

“While unsightly, there are no health concerns or drinking water advisories. Water is safe to use as normal.”

The plant, in Westlake, adjusted its water treatment methods to address the discoloration.

The water leaving the plant is now clear, but some remnants of the discolored water may still be in the distribution system.

“Our crews are actively flushing hydrants throughout the affected area in an effort to remove the remaining amount,” according to the statement.

If the discoloration persists for more than 48 hours, customers are asked to call the division’s Water Quality Line at 216-664-2639.

The Crown Treatment Plant produces an average of 41.5 million gallons of water a day to deliver to the residents and businesses of Greater Cleveland’s west side, including its western and southwestern suburbs, according to the Water Division’s website.

The discoloration affected communities including Bay Village, Fairview Park, Rocky River and parts of Lakewood and Cleveland.

Hypoxia, or low levels of dissolved oxygen in bodies of water, occurs in waters all over the world, according to the U.S. EPA.

Sudden changes in lake temperatures and excess nutrients in the water can contribute to water becoming hypoxic, according to the federal agency.

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