Charlotte Hydrant Flushing Water Away?
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CHARLOTTE, NC — Thousands of gallons of water gushing out, while we are experiencing a drought, and the City of Charlotte is asking residents to conserve.
We received cell phone video from a WCCB Charlotte viewer showing a hydrant off Albermarle Road in northeast Charlotte spewing water 24/7. He says it’s been going on for 2 to 3 weeks. And it gets us to wondering: considering we are under drought conditions, how long will this go on? How many gallons are being spilled, when the city is asking people to conserve water?
We asked Charlotte Water for answers. Charlotte Water sent us a statement saying:
“Water conservation is encouraged every day, but hydrant flushing continues to be a vital part of Charlotte Water’s procedures. The resulting water flow is only done for the least amount of time necessary.”
We were not given specifics on when this particular flush will end, or why it has taken so long. Neighbors confirm that the flush has been in effect for at least two weeks.
Charlotte Water says hydrant flushing is done for several reasons: maintaining water quality by flushing older water out, disinfecting new pipes, or checking hydrants for fire department use. And despite the concerns over drought conditions, the water flowing from hydrants is just a small fraction of the millions of gallons pumped to customers every day.
A spokesperson tells us that:
“Flushing will always be a very necessary part of a management strategy that provides a reliable supply of safe and clean water to our customers.”
Charlotte Water also says that if drought conditions worsen, and water restrictions become mandatory, they will decrease the number of hydrant flushing events and durations as much as possible.
