Flushing Program
Padre Dam has a flushing program that helps to maintain high-quality water throughout the distribution system. Flushing operations are required on a regular basis by the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water. During a flushing operation in your neighborhood, you may see crews flushing fire hydrants, end of water main blow off pipes and reservoirs.
In order to properly conduct flushing operations, the water flowing in the pipes must reach maximum velocities. These higher than normal velocities will scour the insides of the distribution piping, helping to clean out any bio-films or silt that may be present. In most cases, it is not possible to capture and reuse the water being flushed due to the high velocity and volume of water being released.