New Haven residents battling the heat wave now face another challenge: muddy drinking water.

Soaring demand for water in recent days has increased water flow in the city’s water mains and stirred up sediments that resemble fire hydrant flushings, the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (SCCRWA) said in a press release today.

Reports of muddy water first appeared on Monday night, and the problem has since spread across the city, according to the New Haven Independent. Among the neighborhoods affected are downtown, East Rock, Dwight, Fair Haven, Wooster Square and Westville.

While the discolored water is potable, the city’s water supply may remain cloudy for the duration of the heat wave, the SCCRWA said in its press release.

Local residents wishing to drink the cloudy water should first let the sediments in the water settle to the bottom of a container, while those planning to do the laundry should be aware of possible staining, the SCCRWA advised.

“It is no different from the clear water, except that it has stuff floating around in it,” Kate Powell, a spokeswoman for the Regional Water Authority, told the New Haven Independent today.