Oswego Hydrant Flushing Starts Monday

The Oswego Public Works Department will be flushing water mains during a two-week period starting April 7 and ending April 18, weather permitting.

Crews will begin flushing at 7 a.m. Residents are advised to do laundry before that time, or after 6 p.m. on the days flushing is done to avoid rust discoloration of clothes.

If your clothes become discolored, notify the public works department at 630-554-3242.

The public works department flushes all fire hydrants in April and September under the recommendation of the Illinois EPA. Flushing does a number of things, including cleaning of water mains and producing fresh water to areas of the system that have low or very little usage. Flushing cleans the water mains by running high flows of water through fire hydrants to get rid of iron deposits that could produce colored water and, in some instances, plugged water meters. Flushing also helps produce fresh water by opening hydrants at the end of water mains and pulling fresh water all the way to the end of the line. This helps if a resident lives in a new subdivision that has little water usage.

In addition to avoiding doing laundry when crews are in the area, residents are advised to run all cold water taps to make sure water is running clear before turning on hot water.