The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities fall water main flushing schedule has been announced.
Pre-flushing in Falconer will start at 1 p.m. Friday, September 27, on Aldren, Mapleshade, Ralph and Valmeere. The entire Village of Falconer will be flushed from 8 p.m. Saturday, September 28, overnight into Sunday, September 29, until Falconer flushing is completed.
When the Falconer flushing procedure occurs, discolored water can be expected in the Village and on the City’s north side.
Flushing of the rest of the BPU Water Division system will take place from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, September 30, through October 4; and Monday-Wednesday, October 7-9.
The exception will be on Wednesday, October 2, when flushing will begin at 4:30 a.m. to accommodate downtown Jamestown and Fairmount Avenue businesses and restaurants. Residents of streets and neighborhoods near Fairmount Avenue (Route 394), West Third Street and Harding Avenue also could experience discolored water that Wednesday, even though their streets are not directly flushed.
Flushing of the mains may discolor water, especially when the process takes place in the customers’ immediate areas and near their scheduled flushing days. Customers may see discolored water at any time during flushing, even on days other than their scheduled flushing days.
The BPU’s August customer newsletter contains a two-page color-coded map showing which areas will be flushed on which days. The maps also are posted on www.jamestownbpu.com .
Flushing location maps are also available in the BPU Customer Service Office, the Jamestown City Clerk’s Office, the James Prendergast Library and at Town and Village Offices in communities affected by flushing.
BPU commercial and industrial customers recently learned of their flushing dates by automatic calls. Residential customers with current phone numbers on their accounts may expect to receive such calls two to five days before their flushing days.
The main precaution customers may take during water main flushing is to check for discolored water before doing laundry and to avoid drawing discolored water into their hot water tanks. The BPU also suggests putting aside water for cooking or drinking a day ahead of their flushing days because the discolored water appearance is unappealing.
If discolored water enters the household, it can be expected to clear in 12-24 hours.
Customers whose laundry may have been washed in discolored water should not dry it. Instead, they should pick up a free red-out material offered at the BPU Customer Service Office and at clerks’ offices in Towns and Villages served by the BPU Water Division. The laundry should be rewashed with the product before drying.
The BPU flushes water lines twice yearly to remove naturally occurring sediment that may gather in pipes. As flushing occurs, employees also check on the condition of the hydrants and fix any problems they may find. Water main flushing is a normal process used in communities throughout the country.
For questions, refer to the BPU Flushing FAQs at www.jamestownbpu.com or call the Flushing Hotline at (716) 661-1613, Communications at (716) 661-1680 or the Customer Service Office at (716) 661-1660.
Leave a Reply