Is my water safe to drink after flushing?
Your water is safe to drink. Occasionally, water becomes discolored after hydrant flushing. If this happens, run your cold water tap for a few minutes until the water clears. If it doesn't clear the first time, wait a few minutes and run the water again. You should avoid washing clothes until the water clears.
Why is the water rusty?
As described in the previous section, fire hydrants are periodically opened to flush water mains within the system. Additionally, Fire and Public Works Department personnel routinely use hydrants through daily activities such as firefighting and sanitary sewer cleaning. These actions, as well as some construction efforts, may result in brief periods during which you may observe moderate discoloration in your tap water.
As a result of the flushing procedure, residents in the immediate vicinity of the work may experience temporary discoloration of their water. This discoloration consists primarily of harmless silt and precipitates and does not affect the safety of the water. If you experience discoloration in your water after hydrants have been flushing in your neighborhood, clear the pipes in your own home by running water faucets for a minute or two.
What about the water pipes in my own home?
This same philosophy of water line preventive maintenance is one that you should use in your own home. Your home's water heater should be drained and flushed at least once a year to keep it working efficiently and to protect the quality of water inside your home. Also, if you go out of town and there is no water use in your home for a week or more, when you return it's always a good idea to run all your faucets for a minute or so before using the water. This ensures that you don't use any stagnant water that may have developed in your home's pipes while you were away.
