Tag Archives: Hydrant

Construction, Repairs and Spills, Water Quality

Unidirectional Hydrant Flushing

Charlotte Water clears mineral deposits (sediment) from water pipes by flushing water through fire hydrants. The mineral deposits in the pipes are only dislodged when the water is flowing at very high speeds. It has not affected water quality but may have reduced water pressures and pipe capacity.

Water quality sampling stations (green boxes) are installed in the neighborhood so staff can test the water before and after flushing hydrants.

Customers receive a postcard and a notice on their door before this type of hydrant use. Updates will be posted on NextDoor.

Discolored Water is Possible

Customers near flushing may notice temporarily discolored water and lower than normal water pressure. The discoloration does not pose a health risk. However, avoid using tap water or running the washing machine or dishwasher until flushing is complete.

If you experience some discoloration in your water from nearby flushing, run the cold water at one tap for 5 minutes to see if it clears. If it does not clear wait an hour and try again. When the water runs clear, flush any taps where discolored water was present. If not clear after one hour, call 311 to report issues

If you have a question about this project, please contact us at 311 or 704-336-7600.

Fire Hydrant Unidirectional Flushing Frequently Asked Questions

What is unidirectional flushing?

Unidirectional flushing is used to improve and maintain our high-quality drinking water. Sediments and mineral deposits in the pipes can discolor drinking water. The high-speed water flows used in unidirectional flushing is an efficient and cost-effective way to remove sediments and deposits from the pipes and prevent potential water quality issues.
Why does Charlotte Water flush drinking water pipes?

Drinking water pipes need to be flushed out to improve water quality. Over time, very fine sediment from mineral deposits and organic matter settle out of the water and accumulate in the bottom of the pipes. While the sediments are generally harmless, they can make the disinfectant in the water less effective. Additionally, sudden changes in the flow of water can disturb these sediments resulting in cloudy, discolored water.

What should customers expect to see?

While crews have the hydrants open, passersby may notice a lot of water running down the road to a nearby storm drain. At times, the water may be very cloudy or brownish.

Is it common to flush the pipes?

Charlotte Water uses three techniques to clean and maintain the drinking water system: spot flushing, auto flushing, and unidirectional flushing.

Spot flushing is used to address discolored water issues. This includes when drinking water is discolored due to a disturbance in the system such as construction or other hydrant activity. Crews open fire hydrants to flush this water out of the system and bring fresh water into the pipes.
Auto-flushing is similar to spot flushing and is used to maintain water quality by reducing the water age in the distribution system. This type of flushing uses an automatic flushing device, called an auto-flusher, which is connected to hydrants and programmed to flush water at certain time intervals and flow rates. Using an auto-flusher reduces the amount of staff time needed to maintain consistently better water quality at a certain location in the distribution system while using water in a more efficient manner.

Unidirectional flushing is not used in response to a specific water quality issue but instead is used as routine maintenance to prevent problems from arising. The goal of unidirectional flushing is to clean the insides of the water delivery pipes. Cleaning the pipes removes sediment that builds up in the pipes. This reduces the potential for water quality problems. Unidirectional flushing works by forcing water in the pipes to flow at much higher speeds than normal. Flushing crews first open and close valves to isolate sections of pipe, and then the water and any mineral sediments in the pipes are flushed out through an open fire hydrant.

Has the sediment built up in the pipes harmed me?

The sediment from mineral deposits in the pipes is only dislodged when the water is flowing at very high speeds. It has not impacted water quality but may have impacted water pressures and pipe capacity.
Unidirectional flushing will have minimal impacts to customers. If you see hydrant flushing crews working in the area, please drive carefully and treat them like any other road construction crew.
Customers in the immediate vicinity of flushing may notice temporarily discolored water and lower than normal water pressure. The discoloration does not pose a health risk. However, avoid using tap water or running the washing machine or dishwasher until flushing is complete.
If you experience some discoloration in your water from nearby flushing, run the cold water at one tap for 5 minutes to see if it clears. If it does not clear wait an hour and try again. When the water runs clear, flush any taps where discolored water was present. If not clear after one hour, call 311 to report issues.

Updates, What's Going On?

New Hydrant Permit Decal 2022 – 2024

UPDATE:

Go to https://cltwaterblog.org/2024/02/new-fire-hydrant-decal/ to learn about new decal for 2024-2026.

Original Content:

Any individual using a fire hydrant to draw water must have a 2022-2024 Green Hydrant Permit Decal located on the back or side of their equipment.

The Charlotte Water fire hydrant program provides temporary service for customers in Mecklenburg County for authorized use of public fire hydrants. Hydrants are part of the water distribution system and an essential part of public safety, public health, and customer service to our community. Charlotte Fire Department (CFD) and Charlotte Water (CLT-Water) are the only two organizations authorized access to the fire hydrants without a special permit.

You play a crucial role in the Hydrant Permit Program.
If you notice a company using a fire hydrant and they don’t have the proper Hydrant Permit Decal, immediately report it to Charlotte Water by calling 311 or 704-336-7600.

Please provide the following information:

  • Time and Location of Occurrence, include any address or cross streets.
  • Description of Vehicle or Assembly, including Company Name.
  • License Plate Number, Name of Operator, or description of individuals.

For more information about the Charlotte Water Hydrant Program and to obtain a permit, please go to https://charlottenc.gov/Water/Development/Pages/FireHydrantUseProgram.aspx.

Behind the Scenes, Employee Spotlights

Water Week Spotlight: Matt Girard, Hydrant Crew Chief

You pass by dozens of them a day and probably don’t think twice. Hydrants are all over our city, and some have even been here for over 100 years! This piece of infrastructure is another critical component to water access in our community. Matt Girard, Hydrant Crew Chief, shares with us some of the important work they do each day.

Zone 3 hydrant crew, Matt Girard (right) and Mike Puckett (left)

Matt Girard and Mike Puckett begin their day at our Zone 3 location where they receive their assignments for the day. Depending on the hydrant work that needs to be done, they will work on anywhere from four to eight hydrants in a single day. Matt has been in his role for over 23 years, and Mike recently transitioned within Charlotte Water to work on the hydrant crew just a couple of months ago, so he has quite the wealth of knowledge with Matt as his trainer in this role! Hydrant crews only have two staff members per crew, and one crew for each of our zones. Back in the day, there was only one crew assigned for the entire service area!

Hydrant crews handle all hydrant maintenance, repairs, and painting of hydrants. Hydrants are made out of cast iron, and if taken care of properly, they can last up to 100 years! The oldest hydrant Matt has come across was located in Uptown Charlotte from the year 1887. If you stop and notice, hydrants will have the year they were installed indicated on them. If the hydrant is older than 1930, then you won’t see the date listed on the side.

On this particular day, Matt and Mike start their day on a hydrant repair out in the Matthews area. For this particular repair, the hydrant was leaking, so they were there to determine the cause. To begin, they had to shut off the nearby water valve and take it apart to investigate further. In order to do this they needed to take the stem of the hydrant out to see the bottom of it, to determine the issue.

It is quite the manual and labor intensive process to take apart the hydrant. First they must remove the top of the hydrant completely with a socket and impact wrench so they can access the stem and remove it. Then they use hydraulics instead of a manual wrench to remove the stem.

Once the stem is removed completely, they are able to see the cause of the leak. Matt explains that the valve was not shutting off properly due to damage to the rubber valve at the bottom. This damage was likely caused by debris that was not flushed out properly and caused wear and tear on the rubber valve.

Matt pointing to the cause of the leak – the rubber valve, which acts as a seal, has been damaged

Matt and Mike take the stem and valve back to their truck to remove and replace the main valve. The main valve acts as a seal to shut the hydrant off when it is use. Since it is made of just rubber, it can be damaged over time if not flushed properly.

After the rubber valve has been replaced and sealed, the stem is put back into the hydrant.

When putting the stem back in, they slowly turn water valve back on to help seal it into place. This process helps to push all of the air out and seal it. When they start to see the water, they will pull it up manually to seal it, turn it one more time to keep it in place, put the top back on, then attach the hose and turn the water valve up all the way and push out any remaining air.

After that is complete, the final step is to let the hydrant drain for about five minutes, while they clean up and put any materials back in the truck. Then they seal it up and paint the hydrant if needed, then on to the next one!

Thank you to Matt and Mike for letting us follow along with your day, and thank you for all that you and the hydrant crews do to keep our hydrants working properly throughout the community!

We hope you have enjoyed following along all week and learning more about a “day in the life” of some of our staff members during National Drinking Water Week!

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My Water, Water Quality

How to Report Unauthorized Hydrant Use

Is a company using a fire hydrant on your street?

If so look for the purple hydrant decal. This decal is proof that they are authorized to use the hydrant and pay for the water they use. 

CLTWater maintains more than 18,000 hydrants throughout the county. The Charlotte Fire Department and CLTWater periodically use hydrants for fire response, water quality concerns, testing, and to serve contractors and other vendors.

Authorized Users are:

  • Street cleaning vehicles, irrigation trucks, and vendors with truck-mounted tanks that have a hydrant decal on the back of the tank or truck.
  • Fire Departments
  • CLTWater staff

If you see a use of a hydrant, please:
1. Look for yellow hydrant decal on the back of the tank or truck. If there is one, then it is likely authorized. If people are behaving suspiciously then proceed with below steps.

2. Write down

– Name of the company on truck

– License tag number

– Location of hydrant

– Time of the illegal usage.

3. Take a photo if possible.

4. Call 311 or 704-336-7600 and ask to speak to CLTWater Customer Service Dispatch.

Note: Hydrants may also have a device attached to them. These are temporary hydrant meters that help us accurately bill water use. Learn more at charlottewater.org or call 311 or 704-336-7600.