City Water crews will begin the annual fire hydrant flushing program Monday night, May 28.
The program is expected to finish the week of July 4. Crews will flush hydrants Sunday through Thursday, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. They follow this schedule to minimize the inconvenience to our customers, and allow the water to stabilize in the mains before the normal daily water demand occurs.
The flushing process often results in cloudy or discolored water; please be mindful of this while doing laundry or other tasks that could be affected. We do what we can to limit this, and the water always is safe during the process. Discolored or rusty water may be present in the area being flushed, as well as in adjacent areas. If you should encounter discolored water, we recommend that you run water at cold taps in your home or business.
A schedule and map of our planned flushing program is available on our website, battlecreekmi.gov. Check out the City Spotlight section at the bottom of the home page. Staff will update this page daily with maps of flushing progress across the city.
Flushing hydrants and water mains provides several benefits to our water system users. Regular flushing allows the highest quality of water to be delivered to our customers. It also allows our crews to verify operation of the water distribution system, and identify areas that require repair and/or maintenance. It also ensures that fire hydrants are ready for use should the Fire Department need them.
We appreciate everyone’s patience as we maintain our city’s infrastructure.