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Have you ever gone out for a mid-morning walk or drive in your neighborhood only to find water flowing out of a fire hydrant with the familiar H2O truck nearby? This can be a concerning sight for many as it appears significant amounts of water are flowing straight into the storm sewer unused and wasted. You may be surprised to learn this process, called flushing, is an integral part of water systems routine preventative maintenance required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This flushing maintains the integrity of the water system and allows us to continue delivery of the highest quality water possible to our customers.

What is flushing?

Flushing is a process that rapidly removes water from the District’s water piping system, similar to the process of flushing a car’s radiator. Flushing uses water force to scour out materials that accumulate in the District’s pipes. Water pipes are usually flushed by opening fire hydrants, where the discharged water flows off the streets the same as rainwater.

Why are we flushing?

Imagine driving down the road at less than 1-1/2 miles per hour. That’s about the rate that water moves through underground pipes. This slow movement causes sediment like rust and mineral particles to build up over time and accumulate along the pipe’s bottom. A build-up of bacteria known as “biofilm” can also coat the pipe’s inner surface. This combination of sediment and bacteria can restrict water flow in the pipes. Also, some areas of the water distribution system have dead ends or low flow segments where water remains in the pipe longer and may slightly reduce the chlorine disinfectant levels in the water. Periodic flushing of the water system removes the sediments from the lines and refreshes the water in the dead end, low flow segments of the system.

Isn’t flushing a waste of water?

No. Any overall increase in the amount of water used in flushing is a small price to pay in maintaining water quality and the integrity of the piping system.

How will this affect you?

Usually, you will not be aware that flushing is even taking place in your neighborhood. Flushing is generally conducted between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It takes about 30 minutes to flush each hydrant. While the hydrant is being flushed, the homes on that block may experience slight drop in water pressure. Your water service should not be interrupted. The only sign that flushing has occurred in your neighborhood may be standing water in the roadway.

If you receive a letter from Harris County MUD 208 and you are told you are one of the top 10 residential water users, it is not a good thing. It means your household is using well above the “normal” average household usage of water in our area. Just remember the average household’s “leaks” can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year, or the amount needed to wash 270 loads of laundry. There are several things you can do to make certain you do not receive this letter.

1. Check your sprinkler system to see if it needs to be repaired. Please physically check your sprinklers and make certain all heads are in working order and not watering the neighbor’s yard or the street.
2. Place a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes with-out flushing, you have a leak. Make sure to flush immediately after this experiment to avoid staining the tank.
3. Keep your home leak-free by repairing dripping faucets, toilet flappers, and showerheads. In most cases, fixtures replacement parts don’t require a major investment.
4. Don’t leave water running while you brush your teeth or shave.
5. Don’t use water to do what can be done with a broom. Cleaning the driveway and sidewalk with a broom rather than a hose does the same thing, and usually takes less time.
6. Keeping your yard green does not require that sprinkler to run for hours on end or daily for that matter. You just need 1″ a week for a healthy lawn. Irrigate your lawn deeply and infrequently. Turn off the system if we have had 1″ of rain that week.
7. Wash only full loads of clothes.
8. Install rain barrels or harvest rainwater for outdoor irrigation.
9. Run your dishwasher with full loads only.
10. Take shorter showers.

Basically, you don’t want to be on this list. Yes everyone for years has thought that water was always going to flow out of the faucet with just a simple twist of your hand. Luckily we are not living in California and yes we have had a wonderful, wet winter but we still need to always be mindful of our natural resources. We are just now experiencing a recovery from some of the worst droughts in Texas.