Alan on Latona forwarded this email he received from a neighbor:
Hi neighbors,
You may have noticed that your tap water is brown. My next-door neighbor Sallie checked with SPU, who is aware of the issue and says it’s affecting the entire Wallingford region. They are going to send the fire department out to start flushing the area if they can’t find the problem. Despite this they seem confident that it is safe to drink the water.I thought I’d send out a note in case people were wondering whether it was just their house or more widespread.
Discover more from Wallyhood
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
On Monday the fire department was testing fire hydrants. I suppose this could have stirred up sediment in the supply lines. They came by our house at 40th and Sunnyside about 2:00 in the afternoon.
Thanks so much for the information ! I didn’t know who to call. Here the brownish water migrates from kitchen to bathroom and clears after awhile then starts again. Appreciate the “they seem confident” phrasing.
I just spoke with a “water quality” person at SPU. He was returning a call I made to SPU around ten this morning regarding the recurrence of light brown water again this morning after I had re-checked the water to see if it was better than last night. The WQ dude said that there had been a water main break in the area (that has apparently been repaired) and that we should use as little water as possible to allow the “iron to re-absorb into the water in the main” and that he hoped it would be back to normal by tonight or tomorrow. The operator I spoke with prior to his call told me that they have been getting “calls from many people” regarding this. This means we should use minimal water through this evening… Uffdah!
Walling4der – did the person at SPU have anything to say about the safety of the water for drinking??
Abigail- He was non-committal, but not dismissive when asked if I should be aware of anything regarding the water quality. He indicated that there wasn’t anything to worry about, but not to use the water until it returned to clear, as this was best for “the system”. Our water seems fine as of last night here, near 50th and 1st.
Better than Geritol for iron poor blood, I’ll bet….
When walking around the neighborhood, please keep an eye out for leaks from the fire hydrant body, or the valve in the street that’s adjacent to the hydrant. The ~6″ round valve cover is stamped “W” and is generally near the curb. Please call Seattle Public Utilities at 206 386-1800 to report.
I’m surprised the WQ dude would say iron and reabsorb. The sediment put in suspension by the fire flow settles out. I don’t see how rust would get reabsorbed. Independent of high velocity in water mains, older homes with galvanized pipe produce rust-colored water and rust particles. To restore proper flow from the tap, the faucet aerators or screens need to be cleaned periodically. Sediment from the city main accumulates in the hot water tank. It can be a good idea to flush out the home’s water heater regularly.
While the brown water quality is displeasing to look at and perhaps taste, the residual chlorination in the drinking water supply provides bacteriological protection. SPU recommends running a faucet from 30 seconds to two minutes to flush out standing water.
The SFD exercises valves and hydrants during the day; however, upon request SPU crews can instead perform this flushing at night, when turbid water main flow is less likely to stir up sediment and complaints.