Water Main Flushing Weekly Update

Fall flushing will continue during the week of 11/04/19 on the following streets in this order:

                Tilden Road                                                                        Conroy Terrace

                Young’s Lane                                                                      Roberts Drive

                Brook Street                                                                        Sunset Road

                Beal Place                                                                           Henry Lane

                Allen Place                                                                          Circuit Avenue

                Morton Place                                                                       Greenfield Terrace

                Mill Wharf Plaza                                                                  Meeting House Lane

                Harbor Heights Road                                                         Salt Marsh Drive

               Cole Park Way                                                                   Greenfield Lane

               Front Street                                                                        Cedarcrest Lane

               Appletree Lane                                                                  Torreys Lane

               Hazel Avenue                                                                     Ridge Hill Road

               Stenbeck Place                                                                 Woodbine Way

              Otis Place                                                                          Wheeler Park Drive

              Kent Street                                                                        Common Street

              Town Way Ext.                                                                  Common Lane                  

              Inner Harbor Road                                                           Vinal Avenue

              Peggotty Beach Road                                                      Lantern Lane

              Bridge Avenue                                                                  Marty Grassie Way

             Crescent Avenue                                                              Dunbar Way

             Prospect Avenue                                                             Carrie Litchfield Lane

             Edward Foster Road                                                        Roslin Rd.                                                                                         

Signs will be placed in the areas to be flushed at least one day prior to the start of flushing.  Flushing will occur between the hours of 8:00AM and 5:30PM but may be extended as needed.  We will make every effort to adhere to the schedules as posted, but may experience deviations due to unforeseen issues, weather and adequate water supply.

Flushing is typically done with any municipal water system to remove any sediment that may build up in the pipe. The Town opens hydrants along the water line, stirring up the sediment in the pipe which is then removed from the system through hydrants located at the limits of the flushing area. This is done to prevent the sediment from being stirred up in the water lines during a fire, high demand time of year or a broken water line. Most of the sediment is removed from the pipes but some does escape into the system which causes the discoloration of water.  The water system is a closed system and sediment can spread throughout the system until it is flushed.  Removing discolored water from your residence begins by allowing water to flush from an outdoor spigot. This will prevent sediment from entering fixtures in the residence. It is also why Border Street can experience brown water from a hydrant that is opened on Front Street. The sediment travels through the system until it can escape. The entire water system is controlled by pressure and elevation.

Where does the brown water come from? The major cause of the discolored water is old unlined water pipes that can react with the minerals naturally occurring in water. In the past the Town has been unable to have a flushing program because these pre-1935 pipes would break from the pressure of the program and lack of water in our reservoir.  The Town is heavily dependent on ground water wells as a source of drinking water which can also be rich in minerals and contribute to the brown water. These minerals consist of iron or manganese. The flushing program will cause discolored water in varying degrees in all sections of town.  Our program will target all areas to address the recent discoloration.  Information will be updated and posted weekly on our website.