City of Lafayette encourages building owners to flush internal water lines prior to re-opening after COVID-19 closures.
When buildings sit unoccupied and unused, water remains in pipes and becomes stagnant. In order to clear the stagnant water from pipes and improve water quality, building owners can flush their lines bringing in fresh, treated water.
Thorough flushing includes operating all sink, shower, bath and toilet fixtures. Safety equipment, such as eye washes, safety showers and fire sprinkler systems might also require assessment and maintenance.
Standard plumbing fixtures should be flushed as follows:
Toilets- flush several times to ensure fresh water moves through piping.
Faucets and showers- run for approximately 10 minutes, with cold taps running first followed by hot taps.
Flush and perform preventative maintenance on point-of-use devices, such as a filter or other system on a single tap or building entry point, per the manufacturer’s recommendations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has guidance for building water systems for specific industries, such as hotels or health care facilities.
If you require assistance with the flushing process, please contact your facility manager.
For general questions about this process, please contact Public Works at 303-661-1277 or via email at saraho@cityoflafayette.com