Flushing implementation considerations

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Flushing operations can directly impact water service to homes, businesses, and industrial facilities.

When possible, notify public and business owners about when, where, and why flushing operations are taking place, and clearly explain expected benefits of flushing completion.

Notification of Flushing Operations:

There are several methods to inform customers about operations, each with specific costs, challenges, and benefits:

  • Newsletters posted to social media or sent through email
  • Local print or online newspaper postings
  • Mailed zone notice and reminder postcards or letters
  • Automated phone calls
  • Door hangers
  • Community message boards
  • Digital traffic signs

Cost and difficulty of implementation may vary depending on cost of materials, location, and geography of targeted flushing area.

A table of public notification options and the estimated cost of each, ranging from no cost for a newsletter posting, to $70,000 for door hangers.

Key Information:

  • Each notice should include key information about what people can expect during the flushing process, such as reduced water pressure and possibly discolored water.
  • May recommend that impacted customers not use water for drinking, bathing, or washing clothes.
  • Depending on type of issue being addressed by flushing, may also instruct impacted customers to run faucets for several minutes if water is discolored, or to boil drinking water for specified amount of time following flushing operation.
  • Include contact emails and phone numbers, or links to online resources with more detailed information, for problems or concerns.

A sample notice titled Hydrant Flushing Information, including instructions for during and after flushing, and a link to the city website for updates.

Even best flushing plan can encounter challenges, including:

  • Inadequate access to hydrants and flow drainage
  • Buried valves that are difficult to locate
  • Corroded valves that are inoperable
  • Discrepancies between old paper maps and current GIS maps
  • Customer disconnections

An image of a valve being uncovered under dirt and brush.

UDF tends to be effective at reducing customer complaints about water taste, odor, and appearance, but other water quality improvements, such as chemical adjustments and pipe replacements, may also be factors in complaint reduction.