Why fire hydrant flushing

In most cases, water should run clear with just a few minutes of faucet flow. Turn your faucets on cold and let the water run for 5 minutes or so.

If you are still seeing discolored water or sediments in the water, continue running cold water on all your faucets until it is clear. Should your water still be discolored after several hours, please contact your water supplier. Although you will see water flowing for up to an hour, rest assured that most of the water that was flushed will return to a river, stream, or aquifer. Flushing is a necessary process to help keep our water mains clean and clear of sediment, allowing your public water supplier to provide excellent water quality, and increased pressure and flow.

For more information and tips like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter! All rights reserved. Everything You Need to Know About Water Main Flushing Chances are that at some point in early spring, you have noticed fire hydrants being flushed and releasing large amounts of water into the streets. Water main flushing is an important preventative maintenance activity that: verifies proper operation of the hydrant evaluates the available flow to the hydrant allows utilities to deliver the highest quality water possible to their customers removes mineral and sediment build up from the water mains Proper Operation of the Hydrant According to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection MassDEP , the process of water main flushing is one of the most critical practices carried out by public drinking water systems.

High-Quality Water Over time, water settles, ages, and is affected by biofilm a thin layer of microorganisms that grows on the inside of the distribution piping. You should avoid washing clothes until the water clears. As described in the previous section, fire hydrants are periodically opened to flush water mains in the system.

Additionally, Fire and Public Works Department personnel routinely use hydrants to make assessments as to whether adequate pressure and flow are available to satisfy normal system demands as well as the increased demand required in the event of a fire.

These actions, as well as some construction activities, may result in brief periods during which you may observe moderate discoloration in your tap water. In the late fall and winter months the water that enters your homes can be quite cold. System valves are opened and closed during the operation to control the direction of the water flow. Due to this, solids may settle on the bottom of the pipes. The problem may be more significant where there are dead-end pipes or areas of low water use.

They can also be a source of color, odor, and taste problems in the water if the deposits are stirred up by increases in the flow. Flushing the pipes at high velocities will normally remove most of the settled substances and discolored or stale water. During flushing, a Water Distribution crew opens each hydrant to its maximum flow. This high flow stirs up iron deposits and other settled materials and pushes them out of the system.

The operator also records the pressure and flow of water at each hydrant, as well as cleaning and lubricating accessible operating parts. Any issues with the hydrant are noted and it is placed on a schedule for repair. The flow and pressure data is shared with the local fire department. While it may appear wasteful, flushing is the most effective way to keep our drinking water safe, clean and pleasant tasting.

Crews conducting the flushing keep careful records of the amount of water that is flushed through the lines so it can be accounted for and tracked along with other uses of water. Please remember this schedule is a planning tool and may be off by one or two days due to field conditions.

We also remove the chlorine from the water so that it is safe to release into storm drains which may lead to rivers and streams. Our schedule may change based on weather or other conditions. While hydrants are being flushed, customers may temporarily experience low water pressure or discolored water. Even though the water may be discolored, it is safe to drink.

Compounds such as iron, manganese and other sediments make it discolored but they don't have health effects.