Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Get ready for the robo-call: The city of Asheville is sending cameras into our waterline infrastructure, checking out a system that’s up to 90 years old. According to today’s announcement, residents should be on the lookout for discolored water in the “days and weeks ahead.”
The city asks residents to report discolored water at the number below. Official word is discolored water is safe for bathing and showering, but the city recommends discolored water “not be used for cooking or drinking” as a precaution.
It also states that washing clothes in discolored water may cause stains. There is no boil advisory.
Discolored water may continue through mid to late March.
Here’s today’s announcement:
ASHEVILLE – The City of Asheville Water Resources Department is anticipating discolored water in the coming days and weeks ahead. Contractors are using camera systems inside of our main water lines to evaluate their condition, which is stirring up sediment in the pipes. This critical pipe infrastructure is between 50 and 90 years old, and is responsible for delivering an average of 16.5 million gallons of water to the Asheville and Buncombe County areas on a daily basis. We have crews available around the clock that will flush hydrants downstream from the work to lessen the discoloration. Contractors conducting the evaluation plan to work on the project 5 days a week, Monday through Friday. The portion of the project causing the discolored water is scheduled to last through mid to late March 2013.
Customers who experience discolored water should call the Customer Services division at (828) 251-1122 to report it. A call allows the Water Resources Department to flush where needed in order to help clear the discolored water from the reported location.
While the water is safe for cleaning, hand washing and bathing, we recommend the discolored water not be used for cooking or drinking as a precaution. We are monitoring bacteria levels, and the system is closed so there is no belief that pathogens entered the system. A boil advisory has not been issued.
Customers are advised not to wash clothing with the discolored water because it may cause stains.
Customers experiencing discolored water may consider running faucets for a short period of time to rid pipes of discolored water. Customers are reminded hot water heaters store water and if discolored water has entered the tank, it may take the hot water longer to return to normal.
Customers are also encouraged to check residential filters and faucet screens for sediments. In many cases this is simple and involves unscrewing the screen at the head of a faucet.
Once water color returns to normal it is safe for all uses.
The City of Asheville thanks water customers for their patience during this process to ensure longevity and sustainability to the City of Asheville water system.
Link to the City of Asheville announcement.
How about some kind of credit on our municipal water bill, for Christ’s sake…
Nothing about this is clear. No boil advisory, but don’t cook with it? If it isn’t okay to cook with it, it’s not okay to wash dishes with it. And if the brown water can come along at any time, do we not wash whites until April? Find a laundromat on a well somewhere? And it doesn’t sound like running the water will do any good except for maybe increasing our water bills.
Is there any indication of where this will be occuring? Should we just assume that if we live within city limits we’re going to see some discolored water?
Sarah, the announcement doesn’t mention neighborhoods. It looks like the cameras haven’t gone down yet, but will enter main water lines–any neighborhood could be affected, presumably. I think the city’s saying everyone should be on the lookout, and report it so neighborhoods can be informed they’re being affected. Not the clearest request for that being made…