hydrant

The city of Flint is flushing water from hydrants on the west side of the city Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, in an effort to rid the system of total coliform bacteria. Ron Fonger | MLive.com

(Ron Fonger)

FLINT, MI - Automatic flushing devices will be placed on some fire hydrants around the city in an attempt to spread disinfection and corrosion control chemicals through the water system, which is still trying to recover from the ongoing water crisis.

The city announced Monday, April 11, that it would place the devices on 15 hydrants throughout the city.

The devices will periodically release water at a controlled, low rate in an attempt to maintain residual chlorine and orthophosphate levels experts say are needed to accelerate the system's recovery process.

Flushing will typically be done at night and will have no impact on residents' water bills, according to the city.

The program is being done in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Robert Kaplan, acting regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 5, said last week that the city's water system is recovering but remains unstable.

Testing showed that orthophosphate added to the city's water supply was beginning to restore the protective scale on pipes, but high levels of particulate lead are still being detected in the water, Kaplan said.

He said flushing is the best thing residents can do to help resolve the crisis, because it would help transport phosphates throughout the water system and more quickly restore the protective coating.

However, Kaplan expressed his concern that residents may be unwilling to flush their water systems because of the large cost associated with the city's water service.

A study released Feb. 16, by Washington, D.C.-based Food & Water Watch showed Flint residents were charged more for water than any other customers in the nation's 500 largest community water systems.

Flint residents paid on average $864 annually for water service. Flint was one of three systems surveyed nationwide charging residents more than $800 annually.

Officials have not yet agreed on an exact residential flushing protocol.

The hydrant flushing is expected to continue through the summer, according to the city. The flushing devices may be moved around the city as needed.