Flushing

Between April and June, a slight change is made in the water treatment process to facilitate an effective flushing program and maintain water quality. During most of the year, chloramine (ammonia and chlorine) is added to drinking water as the primary disinfectant. In spring, our drinking water providers switch to free chlorine. This temporary change in the water treatment process helps prevent bacteria from becoming overly resistant.  

You may notice a chlorine taste and odor in your drinking water while free chlorine is utilized. If you are especially sensitive to the taste and odor of chlorine, try keeping an open container of drinking water in your refrigerator. This will enable the chlorine to dissipate, thus reducing chlorine taste and odor. 
 

No, customers must take precautions to remove or neutralize chloramines and free chlorine in water used in fish tanks and ponds.

To prevent algae and bacterial growth in pools, it is important that pool owners maintain the same chlorine level in water treated with free chlorine or chloramines. Pool supply stores can provide more information and guidance about chlorinating pools.

Water must be treated to remove free chlorine and chloramines before use in dialysis. We notify all centers in our service area about the conversion to free chlorine each year before switching the disinfectant from chloramines. 

Dialysis patients can safely drink water treated with either free chlorine or chloramines.

Rubber components and materials, which can deteriorate over time, are sometimes used in older home plumbing systems and water heaters. When replacing rubber plumbing components, ask for chloramine-resistant parts, which you can get from your plumber or at hardware stores. Follow manufacturers' recommended use for chloramine-resistant parts.

Most customers will not see a drop in water pressure. If a change in pressure does occur, it usually lasts for only 30 minutes or less.

Sometimes, the flushing process causes short-term cloudiness in water mains by stirring minerals and sediments. Please run cold water from your tap until the cloudiness goes away if you have this problem.

Please email customerservice@pwwater.org or call (703) 335-7950 to reach Prince William Water's customer service department if your water seems cloudy for an extended period of time.

To remove chlorine smell and taste from tap water, fill a pitcher with water and leave it uncovered on your counter or in your refrigerator. Within a couple of hours, the chlorine will dissipate. 

The use of free chlorine may result in a slight chlorine odor in your tap water. Each individual customer has his or her own sensitivity level to the taste and/or odor of free chlorine, though many detect no change at all.

Prince William Water will flush the distribution system from approximately late March-May 2024.

Every spring, the City of Manassas and Fairfax Water, the drinking water suppliers to Prince William Water, temporarily switch from using chloramines as the main disinfectant in their water treatment process to free chlorine. According to our water suppliers, this short-term change is a best practice for the drinking water industry and makes it easier to implement a flushing program for the distribution system.

Free chlorine is also used to disinfect drinking water, but it is a stronger disinfectant than chloramines.

Chloramines are a disinfectant used in drinking water to remove bacteria and viruses. 

Prince William Water flushes water from fire hydrants connected to its distribution system each spring in order to forcefully draw water through its network of pipes. This process dislodges sediments and minerals that may have collected in water mains since the prior year’s system flush.