Discharged iron turns polluted river red-brown

A polluted river in Hebei province that turned red-brown this month is undergoing treatment and further analysis, said a local environmental protection authority.

The Zhongting River, 100 kilometers south of Beijing in Shengfang town, Bazhou, was polluted by wastewater containing iron ions released by iron and steel factories, said Hao Yongjun, a town official in charge of environmental protection.

According to Hao, about a third of the river started to become red-brown earlier this month.