Ocean Pines Fire Hydrant Flushing 10/4 – 10/22
Worcester County Public Works will begin fire hydrant flushing activities in Ocean Pines this October and moving through the various sections.
“Routine flushing of the water system helps to reduce the frequency of discolored water,” Public Works Director Dallas Baker said. “Public Works crews open and close the hydrants, flushing out the built-up iron deposits. Sometimes, this can lead to temporary increases in suspended iron, which should settle out within a few hours of the flushing.”
Public Works typically flushes the Ocean Pines system twice a year to remove any accumulated sediment from the lines and to ensure the hydrants are operational. Proposed dates for the flushing of waterlines in Ocean Pines include the following:
- October 4– Sections 3 and 7
- October 5 – Sections 6 and 8
- October 6 – Sections 2, 5, and 1
- October 7 – Sections 4 and 19
- October 8 – Sections 18 and 12
- October 12 – Sections 13 and 14A
- October 13 – Sections 14B and 14C
- October 14 – Section 14D
- October 15 – Sections 9 and 11
- October 18 – Sections 16 and 10A
- October 19 – Section 10
- October 21 – Section 15A and 15B
- October 22 – Section 17
Concurrently, the proposed dates for the flushing of waterlines are October 5-7 for River Run and October 18-19 for Pennington Commons. All flushing dates are subject to change.
For reference, discoloration in Ocean Pines is from mineral particulates, primarily iron, suspended in the water. Clean Water Act established a standard of 0.3 mg/L of iron in drinking water as an aesthetic standard (not health related). The wells serving Ocean Pines normally contain an average iron concentration below 0.1 mg/l and historically average 0.06 mg/l. of iron. Ocean Pines wells over the summer months produce approximately 2 Million Gallons per Day of water. Over time the small amount of iron in the water builds up. In areas of low water usage, like cul-de-sacs, the small amount of iron can settle out and collect. Deposits will occasionally break up and cause the brown water effect most commonly seen. Occurrences of high water use (fighting fires, opening fire hydrants, etc.) can cause resuspension of those minerals and water discoloration. Flushing during the summer months is minimized because of the seasonally high water use.
Questions or concerns should be directed to Worcester County Public Works – Water & Waste Water Division at 410-641-5251 (answers 24 hours).
