Full announcement from the city of Asheville:
ASHEVILLE – City of Asheville Water Services crews continue this afternoon to flush City of Asheville water lines in response to a high volume of reports of discolored water. The discoloration is a result of stirred up sediment in the lines due to an ongoing water line evaluation and should clear once lines have been flushed. Contractors conducting the evaluation temporarily stopped work on the project as of 10 a.m. Thursday and will not resume the evaluation until Tuesday, Jan. 22. Meanwhile, City of Asheville Water Services crews will remain in the field and on-call throughout the holiday weekend to respond to reports of discoloration.
Customers who experience discolored water should call the Customer Services division at (828) 251-1122 to report it.
While the water is safe for cleaning, hand washing and bathing, we recommend the discolored water not be used for cooking or drinking as a precaution. We are monitoring bacteria levels, and the system is closed so there is no belief that pathogens entered the system. A boil advisory has not been issued.
Customers are advised not to wash clothing with the discolored water because it may cause stains.
Customers experiencing discolored water may consider running faucets for a short period of time to rid pipes of discolored water. Customers are reminded hot water heaters store water and if discolored water has entered the tank, it may take the hot water longer to return to normal.
Customers are also encouraged to check residential filters and faucet screens for sediments. In many cases this is simple and involves unscrewing the screen at the head of a faucet.
Once water color returns to normal it is safe for all uses.
The City of Asheville Water Resources is currently under contract with Brown and Caldwell engineering firm to assess the condition of two large main transmission lines located in the Black Mountain and Swannanoa areas. The project entails entering the pipes with advanced camera equipment in order to assess the condition of the pipes. The project is important to the sustainability and longevity of the water system and is expected to continue through March. During the course of the project, residents may intermittently experience discoloration of their water. The City of Asheville thanks water customers for their patience during this process.
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