A water tower in Colcord, Oklahoma was infested with red worms that eventually made their way into the homes of local residents, according to KOTV.
An emergency management office off of Highway 116 was offering jugs of water to Colcord residents on Tuesday, shortly after the city issued the warning, KOTV reported. The worms were discovered during a routine, twice-a-day check on the water. Samples were sent to the state's health department and the Department of Environmental Quality.
"They are passing through our filters and getting into our distribution lines," said Water Commissioner and Vice Mayor Cody Gibby. "Bleach doesn't even kill them. We don't know what we are dealing with."
According to KOTV, the city has not said whether or not the worms pose a health danger, but have recommended that residents not drink from their faucets until they complete an investigation. The state's Department of Environmental Quality said there are no known effects that the worms can cause to people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gibby told reporters the worms are also referred to as blood worms and are the larvae of "gnat-like" flies. To rid them of the water system, the town stopped the water flow on Tuesday night in order to scrub down the tower, hoping that will clear the water of the worms.
School in the small town canceled class on Tuesday and Wednesday and small businesses closed as well. City officials said anyone concerned about the worms should call their doctor and will continue supplying water until the worms are gone.
"We've had tornadoes come through here and wipe us out and ice storms," Frank Gibby of Emergency Management said. "We've seemed to have managed."
