WCID 17 recommends flushing pipes following end of boil water notice

WCID 17 lifted a boil water notice Feb. 22 after receiving clearance from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, according to a statement on the water utility’s website.

In lifting the notice, WCID 17, or Water Control & Improvement District 17, recommended that residents flush cold water taps within their house for two minutes, starting at the highest point in their homes.

Flushing taps is important to release trapped air in the pipes that could cause cloudy water to flow from the taps, said Jason Homan, general manager of WCID 17,

“Flushing from the top of the home all the way to the bottom will get all that oxygen out of the piping and get that nice clear water that you are used to seeing,” he said.

Other steps the utility also recommended:

• Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.

• Drain, disinfect and refill water storage tanks as needed.

• Discard ice from ice machines and change the filter cartridge per instructions from the manufacturer. Homeowners should throw away the first few batches of ice following this process.