The Importance of Flushing Water Lines

Residents who notice Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) crews working at fire hydrants and see water running into the street may think that the District is ignoring its own philosophy on conserving water. The process of periodically "flushing" fire hydrants, however, is an important preventive maintenance activity. Although it may appear to waste water, this process is part of a routine maintenance program necessary to maintain the integrity of the water system and to continue to deliver the highest quality water possible to our customers.

Flushing the water system on a routine basis removes sediment from lines and keeps the entire distribution system refreshed. IRWD maintains over 1000 miles of domestic water lines throughout its service area, which includes all of Irvine, Newport Coast plus portions of Tustin, Lake Forest, Orange, and Newport Beach.

Each water main over 12 inches in diameter and every fire hydrant is  flushed on an annual basis. Water mains of less than 12 inches in diameter are cleaned every three years.

As a result of the flushing procedure, residents in the immediate vicinity of the work may experience temporary discoloration of their water. This discoloration consists primarily of harmless silt and precipitates and does not affect the safety of the water.   If you experience discoloration in your water after crews have been flushing in your neighborhood, clear the pipes in your own home by running all water faucets for a minute or two.

This same philosophy of water line preventive maintenance is one that you should use in your own home. Your home's water heater should be drained and flushed at least once a year to keep it working efficiently and to protect the quality of water inside your home. Also, if you go out of town and there is no water use in your home for a week or more, when you return it's always a good idea to run all your faucets for a minute or so before using the water. This ensures that you don't use any stagnant water that may have developed in your home's pipes while you were away.