FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — A Florence woman reached out to News13 after still seeing discolored water, even after the city of Florence flushed her water lines.

Florence city officials said Wednesday that residents were seeing brown water because of iron in the water caused by changes in the water flow, such as groundwater repairs.

Kimberly Lewis, who has lived in the Florence area for 10 years, said this has not always been a problem. She said the city has tested her water and found high levels of iron, but nothing else.

Still, said she is concerned about the long-term effect that exposure to the water could have on the health of her and her grandson.

Lewis said that when the water began to stain her sink, the city gave her a commercial heavy-duty rust and stain remover. However, after bathing her grandson, Lewis said his hair was stiff and so were her towels.

“I don’t want to have my grandson involved in it and then find out years from now it’s aggravated something,” Lewis said. “And I’m not saying it’s that severe. But he mentions that [those with] health conditions should avoid it, so what are we supposed to do?”

Lewis, who said she already has pre-existing health conditions, has had her system flushed and has run the water for long periods of time, but the rust isn’t going away.

Jerry Dudley, the city’s utilities director, told News13 the water is probably safe to drink.

“That word ‘probably’ really scares me,” Lewis said. “I probably won’t get hit by a car if I run across the street on Irby in the middle of the night. That probably part would keep me from running across the street.”

City officials said they are looking at the system as a whole to try to fix the problem. They said anyone with an issue should contact the public works and utilities departments.