A mysterious looking creek is causing chatter in Douglasville.

Toney Smith said he was startled when he discovered the turquoise blue water in Cracker Creek, which runs behind his mother's house on Huey Road.

"It was completely creepy. I mean, I wouldn't even touch the water," Smith told Channel 2's Jeff Dore.

He said the bright water looked strange, but it's a picturesque sight.

The source is a stormwater retention pond behind an asphalt-making plant, said Dore.

Douglas Water and Sewer Authority said Asphalt Refining and Technology Company tested its stormwater runoff system. Water authority officials said ARTC added the food quality dye so they could visually see where the water was going.

Officials said the dye is still considered an illicit discharge according to regulations because it has changed the color of the stream and color is a pollutant.

Smith said the unnatural color of the water raised concerns about his family's safety.

"I have nephews and other children that played in this creek," he said.

But water and sewer authorities said the creek is not dangerous.

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