Enhanced water main cleaning began on Sunday, October 9th.
Work will be continuing until the last week of the month, during the early morning hours of 4 AM - 7 AM. Work is scheduled tentatively at this time for alternate days effective October 14th, for the following areas; Saturday October 15th – 303 Main Street to 48 Old Mill Rd. on the 12-inch transmission line. Monday, October 17th – 48 Old Mill Rd. to Caroline Ave. Wednesday October 19th – North Quinsigamond Ave from West Main St. to Post Office Entrance. Friday October 21st – North Quinsigamond Ave from the Post Office Entrance to Audubon Drive. This procedure is an alternative to flushing mains, especially mains that might be causing issues with discolored water. Ice Pigging is a technique that is more effective than flushing in removing particles and sediments from pipe walls. An ice slurry is pumped through a section of main to “clean” it.
All water customers may experience water discoloration and particles resulting from valves being opened and closed to facilitate this cleaning. If you experience water discoloration, it is advised to run your cold water preferably from your outside faucet, to avoid bringing more discolored water into the home. The discoloration should clear in a short amount of time.
For those customers that are serviced directly by a water main that is being cleaned, during the flushing process, a small amount of sodium chloride (table salt) may enter your service line. Customers should avoid using water during the time of the main cleaning and should run their taps for 2 to 3 minutes prior to using the water for drinking or cooking, after the completion of the procedure. If a salty taste is detected, run your tap for a longer period of time. Generally, if you detected a cooler temperature of the water from your tap, you have sufficiently flushed out your service line. If the water becomes very cold, continue to run your tap for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Prior to a section of pipe being cleaned, customers in the immediate area will have a door hanger left a day or two ahead advising that work is about to take place.
For Healthy individuals, the sodium intake from water is not important, because a much greater intake of sodium takes place from salt in the diet. However, sodium levels above the recommended upper limit of 50 milligrams per liter may be a concern to individuals on sodium restricted diets, or those on dialysis.
If there are any further questions or concerns, please contact Shrewsbury Water Department at (508) 841-8506.