Written BY: Prince William County Service Authority

For Water Distribution System Flushing Program FAQ: Click Here

From early April through mid-June, Service Authority personnel and equipment may be seen working in your district, opening fire hydrants for brief intervals in an effort to draw water through the pipes and dislodge sediments and minerals that may have collected during the previous year.

In areas where the hydrants are being flushed, customers may notice brief periods of cloudiness in their tap water. If this occurs, we recommend that customers run cold tap water for approximately two minutes until the cloudiness dissipates.

Also, at this time of year, our drinking water providers switch to a free chlorine disinfectant, which is a stronger disinfectant than the chloramines used during the remainder of the year. This temporary change in the water treatment process is important because it keeps bacteria from forming a resistance to the usual disinfection process. During the disinfectant change, your constituents may notice a slight chlorine taste and smell in their tap water through early summer. Using water filters or refrigerating water for a short period of time are both effective ways to reduce chlorine taste and odor.

Once the flushing program begins, our Facebook and Twitter pages will be updated regularly with the latest hydrant flushing locations and times, and Frequently Asked Questions about the system flushing program can be found here: https://bit.ly/2022FlushingFAQs.