Residents in a US Town have Gold Pouring from their Taps

Residents in a US town have gold on tap, literally.

The local community of Whitehall, in the US state of Montana, have discovered gold flakes pouring out of their household water taps.

Mark Brown said his wife Sharon found specks of gold flakes in the soap suds as she was washing up.

"She pulled the plug to let the water out and it was glistening, gleaming little flecks. I can't explain it... It's bizarre," he told NBC.

The Browns' neighbour Paul Harper revealed he has also found gold in his drinking water.

While the residents initially had their doubts as to what the flecks were, chemical tests have proved that it is pure gold.

Montana does have a gold mine located five miles northeast of Whitehall, however an official with the State Department of Environmental Quality said there's no reason to suspect the gold came from the mine.

It is thought that the flakes could have come from pipes or pumps connected to the water supply.

Whitehall receives its drinking water from two wells in the middle of the town.

While you'd think the discovery of gold in the water might have prompted a gold rush, in fact the residents are more concerned about what else might be in their drinking water.

"If we're getting heavy metals that you can see with the naked eye, what else might be in there?" said Brown.

A sample of the gold drinking water has been sent to a lab for testing.