Water Main and Fire Hydrant Flushing

Post Date:05/20/2019 8:59 PM

Water Main and Fire Hydrant Flushing

Park City’s Water Department is scheduled to conduct their annual water main flushing program, starting this week for roughly a month. Flushing will occur in Old Town, Park Meadows, and other areas throughout the City. Crews will work Tuesday–Thursday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

While it may appear that water is being wasted during this process, it is the most efficient way to clean the water main infrastructure. Flushing water from a hydrant at a high velocity removes any deposits or accumulated sediments from the interior of the pipe to ensure customers continue to receive the highest quality of water.

Water samples are also taken during the flushing process, allowing the Water Quality Department to continually gather information on water chemistry throughout the distribution system. The high-velocity flows are also tested to ensure there will be ample flow in the event of a fire.

During this process, customers may notice episodes of decreased water pressure or discoloration of their water. If flushing takes place in your neighborhood, Park City Water recommends running an outdoor tap or cold-water faucet for five minutes to ensure that the water service is free of any residual sediment or discolored water.

Crews will be proactive in avoiding any traffic disruption or adverse impacts on our local ponds, streams, and rivers. Other pooling may occur in certain areas of town—crews will do their best to mitigate this.

For any additional information, please call 435.615.5335

Return to full list >>

Departments » Sustainability » Regeneration

Biochar

Print
Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option
Font Size: + -

Although wildfires are a healthy part of many ecosystems in the Intermountain West, the risk from catastrophic wildfires continues to increase in communities like Park City. Years of fire suppression, coupled with a hotter and drier climate and the continued development of subdivisions close to forestlands, presents the difficult challenge of trying to protect communities while also managing fire in a way that does not exacerbate climate change.

In 2019, Park City was among eight communities to recently receive a Leader in Community Resilience Program award from the National League of Cities (NLC). The award will support the city’s work in developing a biochar program to reduce excess forest fire fuels such as brush and wood debris, and return that carbon to Park City's soils.

Biochar is a charcoal-like material that can be used in carbon sequestration efforts. It is made by burning the excess forest fuels in an oxygen-free environment. Biochar is rich in carbon and in this case, will be collected from defensible spaces, that is the natural or landscaped area around a structure that is maintained and designed to reduce fire danger. Park City held a public demonstration in May 2019 to teach the public about how biochar is made, where it can be used on the landscape, and how it can reduce fire danger locally.

The forests surrounding most structures in the community contain a lot of poor-quality lumber that has the potential to be turned into biochar. This biochar, in turn, can be applied to farm fields and open spaces.

Get in touch to learn more!