1- Clean Water Clean water is that which does not pose a substantial health risk to humans, such as broken water pipes, bathtub or sink overflows. Clean water can become gray or black water by mixing with contaminates that are harmful to humans or if not mitigated quickly and properly. Clean water becomes polluted when mixed with detergents, soil from laundry, food from dirty dishes or microbes that exist in all of our carpets. 2- Gray Water Gray water is unsanitary water that contains some level of contamination which could cause discomfort or sickness. This water carries microorganisms or nutrients for microorganisms such as dishwater or washing machine overflows, broken aquariums or water beds.
Gray water can rapidly become black water.
3- Black Water Black water is grossly unsanitary and contains pathogenic material which is harmful to health. This category includes sewage and ground water floods containing pesticides or other toxic chemicals. The most common source of this category is from sewage backflows. Sewage backflows contain urine and feces and may also have high levels of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. There are significant risks to occupants, first responders and restoration personnel.