City maintains water quality with annual water flushing program

Published on December 26, 2022

Menlo Park Municipal Water conducts annual water main flushing from November through March as needed. This is done as part of scheduled preventative maintenance to maintain good water quality and improve the water flow specifically for dead end water main lines. 

Dead end water mains are often found at the end of cul-de-sac streets and older neighborhoods. Dead end water mains do not provide enough flow to keep water fresh and chlorine levels present. Due to this fact, Menlo Park Municipal Water has a preventative maintenance cycle set up for flushing dead end water mains to ensure high water quality.

During this routine, flushing process staff will check the water to confirm its quality. As staff flush these main lines they compare the beginning and ending chlorine residual, and estimated gallons flushed to help us figure out which dead end mains needs to be flushed most often. All dead end mains are not equal; some have higher usage which helps keep water fresher over time. These dead end mains may not need to be flushed as often as a large main lines feeding a cul-de-sac with very few homes. Due to the variability in this process, it is essential that our staff keep accurate records so we can prioritize our work and maintain water quality. Even during periods of drought crews are still required to flush the water mains to maintain water quality.

The process of flushing water mains may cause some side effects such as temporary reduction in water pressure or brown water. Customers can flush their home's water lines by running the indoor and outdoor faucets for 1-3 minutes until the water is clear. These temporary conditions are normal during flushing and are not a danger to the public but the Menlo Park Municipal Water wants to be notified if you report brown water at your house. 

For more information about water quality please view the June 2021 Water Quality Report.

For questions or to report a water quality concern, please contact Menlo Park Municipal Water.