City of Pataskala issued the following announcement on Sept. 23.
The City of Pataskala operates and maintains more than 550 fire hydrants that are part of our water distribution system. These hydrants not only provide water on demand for use in firefighting operations, they also can be used as a tool by the Utility Department to “flush” the water mains in the distribution system.
Hydrant flushing is an annual program that will be conducted the week of September 28-October 2 in 2020. Members of the Utility Department will go to every hydrant in our distribution system and open them, allowing a large volume of water to be discharged through the hydrant nozzles. This sudden velocity increase in the water main removes any sediment or iron deposits that may have come out of solution over the course of the last year. Hydrant flushing also helps to maintain adequate chlorination in low flow areas.
While flushing, our department will operate and inspect each hydrant and identify any repairs that need to be made. After the week of hydrant flushing concludes, all identified repairs will be completed by our Systems Team in a timely fashion. Keeping hydrants in top condition is a critical priority for the department and for the safety of the community.
During the process of hydrant flushing, you may experience fluctuations in your water pressure, or possibly even discolored water caused by disturbing the iron that may have come out of solution. These issues should clear up within minutes. While this disturbed water may look less than appealing, there is no health risk associated with it. If you are doing laundry and discolored water gets into your plumbing, it is possible that your laundry will have a reddish-brown tint to it. The Utility Department would be happy to provide you with a product called “Iron Out” that can remove this tint by adding it to another wash cycle. Simply call our office and we will deliver it to your house.
We would be happy to answer any questions at: Utilities Department, 430 S Main St, 740-964-6275.
Chris Sharrock
Utility Director
csharrock@ci.pataskala.oh.us
Original source can be found here.
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