The waters of the Gulf of Mexico looks brown because of the sediments coming from nearby rivers. It is basically an ocean basin, so it receives waters from different bodies of water. These sediments come from decayed matter like rocks, aquatic plants and wastes from aquatic organisms. It can harm freshwater fishes but some plants could thrive in that condition. As for humans, it is not safe to drink the water with high turbidity. The water is deemed not potable because it might contain harmful bacteria that could lead to digestive diseases.
