To maintain the quality of our water we need to release water at a high flow rate to clean the water mains after we attend to a fault or as part of our maintenance program and network testing. This process is known as 'flushing'.
Our water main flushing program aims to remove natural sediment build-up so we can deliver clean water to our customers. The program is planned around customer feedback, water sampling and historical data that indicates where and how frequently flushing is required.
We also flush our water mains following routine maintenance, emergency repairs or as required to remove sediment.
While it may seem wasteful, the amount of water used in flushing is very minimal across our network.