West Newbury Water Department Schedules Spring Hydrant Flushing

Since the Coronavirus outbreak, most people will be in their homes during the flushing hours. It is very important to keep a lookout for our Water Department vehicles in your neighborhoods. When we are flushing hydrants in your area, refrain from using water when you see us. Especially when we flush during the day (9:00AM-3:00PM).

The West Newbury Water Department will begin its spring hydrant flushing on Saturday night, April 18th. The process will start at 10:00PM with hydrants along Main Street from the Groveland town line to the Newburyport town line. Flushing will continue through 5:00AM on Sunday morning.

We will not be flushing hydrants on Monday, April 20th (Patriots Day). Daytime hydrant flushing on secondary roads will commence on Tuesday, April 21st and continue through Friday, May 1st from 9:00AM to 3:00PM. No flushing will take place during the weekend of April 25th - 26th.

At this time, hydrants on roads south of Main Street are scheduled to be flushed April 21st - 24th and hydrants on roads north of Main Street are scheduled to be flushed April 27th - May 1st. This schedule could change so please be aware of hydrant flushing in your neighborhood.

Flushing hydrants will cause the water to become discolored as sediment is removed from the water system and customers may experience intervals of low water pressure as well.  If you have discolored water, wait until flushing is completed in your area and at a minimum wait 15 minutes then run the coldwater faucet until the water runs clear. Do not run the hot water as discolored water can be pulled into your hot water tank and take longer to clear up.

Before doing laundry, residents are advised to run the cold water to make sure it runs clear. Try to avoid using bleach whenever possible as it may cause the iron and manganese to permanently stain clothes.  If clothing is stained after washing, DO NOT MACHINE DRY. There are products available, free of charge, in the Water Department office that will help take the stain out during re-washing or you can purchase the product at most grocery and hardware stores. The product would have a name like Iron Out or Rust-B-Gone.

Officials recommend that homeowners refrain from washing laundry after 9:00PM on Saturday, April 18th through the late afternoon on Sunday, April 19th.  Starting on Tuesday, April 21st, residents should only plan on washing laundry during the evening hours, after 6:00PM when flushing is not scheduled. Continue to wash laundry in the evening until Friday, May 1st when flushing is scheduled to be completed.

Please note that hydrant flushing takes place twice a year in West Newbury during the months of April (Patriots Day) and October (Columbus Day). The Water Department appreciates your cooperation during this period. If you have any questions please contact the Water Department at (978)363-1100 ext. 127.