City of Monroe, LA

Mayor Jamie Mayo and the Monroe City Council are pleased to join Monroe Water Systems Manager Sean Benton to announce the following Smart City initiative:

Beginning Tuesday, July 7, the City of Monroe Water System will be conducting a new water system flushing method. Operations will be Tuesday, July 7, through Friday, July 10, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. The flushing crews will set out signs notifying residents when flushing operations are taking place.

About the Flushing Program

Normally, our system flushing is done by opening water hydrants and letting water flow out for an hour or more. It was necessary to flush millions of gallons of water down storm drains each year in order to ensure that the water remained clean and safe to drink. To "lead by example” in water conservation," the City of Monroe Water System is testing an innovative way to flush its water system without wasting those vast amounts of water.

The NO-DES method is simple: the truck unit is parked between two fire hydrants with hoses connected from each hydrant back to the NO-DES unit, which results in a temporary loop being created in the water distribution system. A pump on the NO-DES unit then circulates water through that loop at a velocity fast enough to scour the inside of the water main. This water is filtered through the NO-DES unit (filtered down to one-micron absolute - approximately 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.), which removes the sediment and biofilm that has been intentionally stirred up.

Residents can still use water normally throughout the flushing process. However, there may be small pressure fluctuations or minor aesthetic effects like cloudy or discolored water. This is not dangerous; running a faucet outside of the house or running cold water inside the house for a few minutes should resolve the problem. Please refrain from doing laundry during this period.

Residents who experience continued water quality problems should call the Water Distribution Department at 318-329-2385.

If your clothes have become stained as a result of using water during a flushing operation, please keep them wet. You can call Monroe Water Distribution at 318-329-2386 to receive a cleaning agent to remove the stain at no charge.

Water Quality Flushing

The City of Monroe Water System flushes water lines in order to:

• Maintain water quality - The disinfectant chloramine becomes less effective as water collects at dead end lines and becomes old. The City must therefore flush hydrants in areas where there is low water demand.
• Clean water mains - Over time, small particles of rust and clay build up inside the City’s main water pipes and can harbor colonies of bacteria that may harm water quality. Water quality staff use unidirectional flushing to pull water at a high velocity from a specific point in the system to a discharge point. The rapid movement of water scours the insides of the pipes. Often, the water will appear brown as it flows from the hydrant but clears up after some time. Over the years, City of Monroe has greatly reduced the amount of water used in these unidirectional flushing procedures by regularly maintaining the pipes.