AUB’S FALL FLUSH OF LINES TO BE TUESDAY
ATHENS, Tenn. – Crews from Athens Utilities Board (AUB) will flush water lines and fire hydrants throughout the city beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, weather permitting. The work should be finished by early evening.
AUB spokesman Wayne Scarbrough said that starting midday was successful a year ago. In past years, crews have done the work overnight.
“Working overnight was fine, and we got everything done well, but there were distinct disadvantages. Being able to see clearly was the most obvious. Also, the safety aspect of having guys working in the middle of the night concerned us.
“Doing the work from midday until early evening, mostly in full daylight, proved successful, so we are sticking to it,” he said.
Two notable advantages of starting midday involve worker safety and workers’ ability to observe water clarity as they flush the system.
“Working in the full light of day versus in darkness is clearly a safety advantage, both from a visibility standpoint to drivers and from a hands-on perspective while working the hydrants.
“Also, crews can verify after flushing a line more easily whether the water has fully cleared before closing the hydrant. That’s more challenging to do under headlights and flashlights,” Scarbrough said.
Starting earlier in the day reduces the cost of the work as well based on fewer overtime hours required.
Flushing water distribution lines is preventive maintenance that ensures clean, sediment-free water year-round.
Flushing all hydrants will involve teams of AUB crewmembers that will begin work simultaneously at various points throughout the system. Crews will open each hydrant on the system for several minutes, until they verify that the water is clean with minimal sediment. Some hydrants may remain open longer, at a “lazy stream” pace, for several hours depending on their position in the system.
The effort will continue throughout the night until all hydrants have been flushed. Work should be complete by around 9 p.m.
AUB urges area residents to keep these things in mind Tuesday afternoon and into the overnight hours:
- During the flushing, residents may experience times of low water pressure due to the loss of head pressure in the AUB reservoirs that supply water to the system. Low water pressure will likely begin from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and may come and go as various areas are flushed. A pump will run continuously at AUB’s water plant to help keep as much water in supply reservoirs as possible, but low-pressure periods in some areas during the work are likely.
- Tuesday afternoon and overnight when the work is finished some areas may have slightly cloudy water. This is typical and primarily is the result of small entrained air bubbles that will dissipate with time. Some cloudiness may be the result of sediment being washed free of the lines by the high-velocity, high-volume water circulated through the system.
- Because of the possibility of sediment in the water, area residents should avoid washing clothes during the work, and especially on Tuesday night following the work. Washing during these time periods could result in clothes that are dingy or discolored.
To protect streams and aquatic life, AUB uses a compound called sodium thiosulfate to neutralize chlorine in the higher-than-normal volume of water that is drained from the system in a relatively short period.