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Cleaning your water mains is one of the ways we're ensuring the quality of your drinking water.
You can expect some temporary changes to your water supply when we clean your water mains.
Why we clean water mains
Cleaning the water mains removes the natural sediments that build up over time. This improves the clarity of the water you receive and helps maintain the pipes to ensure you continue to have reliable water quality into the future.
How we clean water mains
We use two methods to clean water mains.
Air scouring uses a combination of high-pressure water and compressed air to remove the buildup of sediment and scale from inside the water mains. It’s an effective method for drinking water maintenance.
Flushing uses high-flow water to clean the mains. We typically flush mains after an incident, like a burst pipe.
Temporary impacts to your water supply
Cleaning the water mains may cause temporary changes to your water supply.
During cleaning
Sometimes we’ll need to turn the water off while we clean the mains. We’ll let you know ahead of time if we need to switch off your water.
It’s normal to have discoloured water for a short time after the mains are cleaned. It’s caused by air or sediment stirred up during the cleaning process.
If you have discoloured water, you should run your front garden tap, then back garden tap for a few minutes until the water runs clear.
In most cases the discoloured water should clear after a short time. If it doesn’t clear, please call our faults team on 13 44 99 for advice.
Cleaning water mains and local impacts
When we clean water mains in your area, you may see our crew nearby using water hydrants. There may be discoloured water flowing out of the hydrant or on the ground nearby. This is caused by natural sediments and is safe for the environment.
