Brown Water? Don’t Freak Out! Pittsfield Flushing Continues

Maybe you didn't catch the news that the City of Pittsfield has begun its annual water system flushing? Maybe you went to the sink for a nice cool glass of water, and... YUCK! Your water is brown! It's okay, no big deal. City officials say that all you have to do is run your water for several minutes to clear out the gunk.

This is Week Two of the city's water system flushing...

Monday (May 2) will mark the start of week two for the flushing of Pittsfield’s water system. With Week One already in the books, water mains throughout the city will be flushed through hydrants over the next three weeks to remove accumulations of pipeline corrosion products.

Mains will be flushed Monday through Friday each week, except holidays, between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:00 PM.

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Where is it happening this coming week?

The upcoming flushing for this coming week will be in four main areas. The flushing is expected to affect the following areas:

• Starting at Unkamet Park Drive heading west up to North Street working north to the Broadway and Lake Street neighborhood.

• Starting at Plastics Avenue moving west on Dalton Avenue including the Allendale and Allengate neighborhoods. Then moving west onto Tyler Street into the Morningside neighborhood, including Springside Avenue, pushing west to North Street.

• Lincoln and Fenn streets, Silver Lake, Wendell Avenue, and the surrounding vicinity, pushing west to North Street.

• South Mountain and Tamarack roads, Dan Fox Drive, and south to the Pittsfield-Lenox line.

What do I do if my water is brown?

Although flushing may cause localized discolored water and reduced service pressure conditions in and around the immediate area of flushing, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that proper levels of treatment and disinfection are maintained in the system at all times.

The city says that if customers experience discolored water, they should let the water run for a short period to clear it prior to use. If discolored water or low-pressure conditions persist, please contact the Water Department at 499-9339.

Flushing is an important operating procedure that contributes significantly to the maintenance of the water quality in the water distribution system.