The Prince William County Service Authority will conduct its annual water distribution system flushing program from late March until mid-June this year.
Each spring, the Service Authority’s drinking water providers, Fairfax Water and the City of Manassas, temporarily change the primary disinfectant in their water treatment process from chloramines to free chlorine. Our water providers indicate that this temporary change facilitates an effective flushing program for the distribution system and is a drinking water industry best practice.
Over the course of the flushing program, Service Authority crews will also be opening certain fire hydrants for approximately 15 minutes in order to draw water forcefully through its network of pipes.
This process dislodges sediment and minerals that may have collected in water mains since last spring.
During the flushing program, customers might notice a slight chlorine smell in their tap water. Filling a pitcher with water and leaving it uncovered on the counter will allow the odor to dissipate within a couple of hours.
Customers may also notice brief periods of cloudiness in their water. If this occurs, they can simply run cold water from their taps for about two minutes.
The Service Authority will post date ranges and general locations of flushing activity on Facebook and Twitter. Answers to frequently asked questions about the annual flushing program are available online at bit.ly/springflushing.
