LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Water flowing in Buffalo Creek has taken on a new hue.

Perry Harvey, who's with the Buffalo Creek Watershed Association, says that last week he noticed a stretch of the stream taking on a orange tint. As the days passed, the color got more intense.

The Department of Environmental Protection says that the color is being caused by iron deposits. The Watershed Association's main concern is how those deposits will effect the wildlife in the area.

"We've worked hard and long for the last five or six years to get Buffalo creek cleaned up, and to see something like this gives you a discouraging feeling," Harvey said.

DEP officials say that the source of the contamination is at the mouth of Proctor Hollow. The iron-colored water is flowing about 5 miles downstream into Man.

"It sets off an alarm that there's bad water on this stream," said Larry Alt with the Department of Environmental Protection. "There's no need to panic. We're working on the situation to see if we can get it taken care of."

Since Monday, DEP workers have been taking samples from different locations along the creek. They believe that the water is coming from an abandoned mine.

The DEP still has to determine where the water is flowing from and what those samples contain. It will take about three to five days for a lab to analyze the samples.

"It does take time, and it is frustrating especially when you have a problem like this that people are aware of it," says Cheryl Johnston, DEP Geologist.

There is a working mine in the vicinity of where the contaminated water is seeping from, but DEP officials say they did not find any evidence that the water could be coming from there.