ALEXANDRIA, Ontario – Delivering high quality drinking water to our residents remains a priority for the Township of North Glengarry. This means that we need to carry out a variety of maintenance jobs designed to keep our water works system in top shape. Regular maintenance also helps us to identify any problems that might need to be resolved during our summer construction projects.
One of these jobs is to periodically flush some of our water mains, particularly if we believe that natural sediments may have built up inside of the pipes.
On April 20, the Water Works Department is going to commence a comprehensive flush of the water mains located in Alexandria and in Glen Robertson. Crews will begin by flushing the water near the Alexandria Water Treatment Plant, which is located at 22 Gernish Street, in Alexandria. A similar process was completed in Maxville earlier this year, when that system became operational.
“We always start from where the water is cleanest and we push the water outwards. We are flushing out the system. Our team will be working in a very systematic order to get this done as quickly as possible,” said Dean McDonald, Water Works Manager for the Township of North Glengarry.
Flushing of the water system is expected to take between four and six weeks to complete. A crew of two water specialists will be tasked with performing maintenance on more than 140 hydrants and close to 500 water valves.
During this process, residents can expect to see water running down affected streets. There may also be periodic dips in water pressure. In some cases, affected homeowners may find that their tap water is cloudy, or yellow in colour.
If your water clarity is affected, you are advised to turn on all of the taps in your residence and to allow your water to run for five to ten minutes. This will help to remove the sediment from your pipes. If after 20 minutes, you do not see an improvement in your water clarity, please notify the Water Works Department of the Township of North Glengarry.
In addition to improving the quality of the water by flushing out sediments, the bi-annual flushing of the system helps to identify which valves and hydrants need to be replaced, due to age or damage.
The Township invests approximately $30,000 in upgrading these systems each year. The system is flushed at least twice each year, once during the spring and again during the fall.
