It may seem strange to see utility workers letting thousands of gallons of water flow freely from a hydrant, particularly during the hot summer months or even a drought.

So why do we do this? There are several reasons, but to put it simply, we don’t have a choice.

LINE BREAKS
Whenever a water line breaks, a repair or replacement must be made. That section of pipe must then be “super-chlorinated” for disinfection. The disinfected section must then, in turn, be flushed from a hydrant to prevent the highly-chlorinated water from entering the rest of the system.

CHLORINE RESIDUAL
Secondly, utility systems are required by state law to maintain a certain level of disinfectant (chlorine) throughout the distribution system. This is known as “chlorine residual.” The effectiveness of chlorine dissipates over time, meaning that the longer water is sitting in the system, the less chlorine there is available in the water to act as a disinfectant. The process of "flushing" water lines through hydrants solves this problem by moving stagnant “old” water out and bringing fresh water in.

Flushing is also an important preventive maintenance activity. There are over 1,000 miles of water line within the City of Waco water system and over 200 sites that require flushing on a routine schedule. The flushing route is carefully planned and valves are opened and closed to control the direction of the water flow.

Although it may appear to waste water, the process of flushing water is necessary to maintain the integrity of the water system and allows us to continue delivering the highest quality water possible to our customers.