Red Sulphur PSD begins annual fire hydrant flushing

In the fall of October 2024, the Public Service Commission of West Virginia passed General Order 188.52 regarding fire hydrant maintenance. The purpose of fire hydrant maintenance is to enhance the long-term water quality, confirm adequate fire flows, and helps us to identify possible malfunctions in the hydrants and system valves.

The hydrant flushing program consists of opening certain hydrants at brief intervals to flush our sediment that may have collected in water mains over time. This also allows us to test the psi (pounds per square inch) and gpm (gallons per minute) of each hydrant. Our fire hydrants will also be color coded to indicate to the fire departments what the flow measurements are, which will assist them when an emergency happens.

The area circled in red on the map to the left indicates the area our will be testing first. During the flushing of water mains, there may be a temporary reduction of water pressure or some discoloration in the tap water. This discoloration is not harmful and can be addressed quickly by running cold water until it is clear after the flushing in the immediate area is complete.