The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities will begin fall water main flushing in early October, weather-permitting.

Pre-flushing in Falconer will start at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, in the areas of Aldren, Mapleshade, Ralph and Valmeere. The complete Village of Falconer will be flushed from 8 p.m. Saturday, October 3, overnight into Sunday, October 4, until Falconer is entirely flushed.

During Falconer flushing, water may be discolored on the north side of Jamestown as well as in the Village.

Flushing of the remainder of the BPU Water Division system will take place from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, Oct. 5-9; and Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 12-14. The exception will be on Wednesday, Oct. 7, when flushing will take place from 5:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. to accommodate any downtown and Fairmount Avenue businesses and restaurants. Flushing that day could affect streets directly off Fairmount Avenue/Route 394, even though their streets are not flushed that day.

Flushing can discolor water, especially when water line cleaning takes place in the customers’ immediate areas near their scheduled flushing days. Customers may see discolored water at any time during flushing, even on days other than their scheduled flushing days.

The BPU’s September customer newsletter contains a two-page color-coded map section showing which areas will be flushed on specific days. The maps also are posted on www.jamestownbpu.com and will be in the Post Journal on September 26 and October 3.

The BPU website, Facebook and Twitter pages will show daily flushing locations.

The BPU recently informed commercial and industrial customers of their flushing dates by automatic calls. Residential customers, whose phone numbers are current on their accounts, can expect to receive such calls two days in advance of their flushing days.

Customers with questions about flushing and their flushing dates may call the Flushing Hotline at 661-1688 or Communications at 661-1680. BPU Communications Coordinator Becky Robbins says, “If you receive voicemail when calling, please leave your address, the names of the streets at the end of your block and your phone number. BPU employees will return calls with flushing location dates and with answers to any questions.”

The main precaution that customers may take during water main flushing is to check for discolored water before doing laundry and to avoid pulling discolored water into their hot water tanks. The BPU also suggests putting aside water for cooking or drinking a day or so ahead of their flushing days because the discolored water is unattractive in appearance.

Should discolored water enter the household, it can be expected to clear in 12-24 hours.

Customers who get caught with discolored laundry as a result of flushing should not dry the clothes but rewash them in a commercial rust/iron stain remover. Customers may stop at the BPU Customer Service Office, 92 Steele St., to obtain remover free-of-charge. This commercial rust/iron stain remover is available year-round at the BPU and at Village/Town offices in communities served by the BPU Water Division. The remover may also be purchased in area stores.

It is generally safe to use and flush your toilet during flushing, even on your scheduled flushing day. If you flush your toilet and see discolored water, continue to use and flush your toilet throughout the day as needed. Once the water settles in the main, which may take some time, clear water eventually will be drawn into your household plumbing again. The discolored water will clear from your toilet when this settling occurs.

The BPU flushes water lines twice a year to remove natural sediment that may gather in pipes. As flushing occurs, employees also check on the condition of the hydrants and fix any problems that they may find. Water main flushing is a normal process used in other communities throughout the State. The BPU prefers cleaning the lines by flushing instead of putting chemicals in the water to do so

For questions, refer to the BPU Flushing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), at jamestownbpu.com or call the Flushing Hotline at 661-1688, Communications at 661-1680 or Customer Service at 661-1660.