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Flushing Fire Hydrants

Water Quality & Fire Hydrant Flushing: The Importance of Flushing Water Lines

Document (1)Residents who notice Amelia County Sanitary District (ACSD) employees working at fire hydrants and see water running into the street may think that the District is ignoring its own philosophy on conserving water.

The process of periodically "flushing" fire hydrants, however, is an important preventive maintenance activity. Although it may appear to waste water, this process is part of a routine maintenance program necessary to maintain the integrity of the water system and to continue to deliver the highest quality water possible to you our customer. Flushing the water system on a routine basis removes sediment from lines and keeps the entire distribution system refreshed.

To this end, the ACSD maintains several miles of water lines throughout our service area and it is our policy to flush our entire system semi-annually.

Customer Awareness

While it is both essential and important to maintain the quality of our water for our customers it is important that each customer be aware of the possible impacts on your water and to be careful about your water use during and immediately after flushing.

Therefore, please be advised that as a result of the flushing procedure:

  1. Residents in the immediate vicinity of the work may experience temporary discoloration of their water
    1. This discoloration consists primarily of harmless silt and precipitates and does not affect the safety of the water
    2. If you experience discoloration in your water after crews have been flushing, please be sure to clear the pipes in your own home by running all water faucets for a minute or two or until all traces of discoloration disappear
    3. Please remember to avoid washing white clothes for at least 24 hours
  2. This same philosophy of water line preventive maintenance is one that you should also use in your own home.
    1. Your home's water heater should be drained and flushed at least once a year to keep it working efficiently and to protect your homes water quality
    2. 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 while you were away
  3. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions please feel free to contact:
A. Taylor Harvie, III (County Administrator)
Office Phone: 804-561-3039

Water or Sewer Emergency

Call the County Public Works Office at 804-561-4565 from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday (except state holidays). For after hours emergencies please call 804-561-2118, the non-emergency line at Sheriff's office.