The City has finished flushing Pierre’s water lines.
In anticipation of its new treated water system, the City cleaned its more than 100 miles of water distribution pipes to remove any material that might have collected in them.
The process started in late October and wrapped up in mid-December.
“Other than taking a little longer than originally anticipated, the flushing project went extremely well,” said Brad Palmer, City Utilities Director. “We received no indication from our citizens that there was any disruption to water service; we had no broken lines; our valves all worked.”
The flushing process required City staff to manually open and close underground water valves for each flushing sequence.
“We needed to make sure the right pipes were open at the right time to force the water in the correct direction,” said Palmer. “It was big lift for the water department; they powered through to get the work done while the weather allowed.”
This round of flushing needed to be complete before the area sustained temperatures which would cause the flushed water to freeze. The city will do a secondary flush of the pipes shortly before distribution from the treatment facility begins.
The treated water is the result of a 2018 public vote when Pierre residents decided the city should build a drinking water treatment facility. Surface water from the Missouri River will be treated at the new facility and replace the underground aquifer currently used as Pierre’s water source. The new water is expected to start flowing by fall 2022.
PHOTO: Members of the City’s Water Department open an underground water valve as part of the City’s recently completed pipe flushing project. The City maintains more than 100 miles of water main.