Cherokee Begins Fire Hydrant Flushing

If you get muddy water coming from your faucets over the next two months, no worries, it’s routine.

The  is conducting maintenance of their fire hydrants by flushing them till June. Firefighters do this every spring and fall to keep everything up to par.

Tim Cavender, spokesman for the Cherokee Fire and EMS, said the routine flushing could sometimes result in muddy water because of sediment in the water lines, but it is still treated water and can be used. 

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources will immediately notify the public if the water is unsafe.

Here are a few tips from the if you find brown water in your bathtub:

• Run the bathtub faucet on cold only for approximately 15 minutes to see if it clears up.
• Do not use hot water because this will pull the muddy water it into your water heater. 
• If the muddy water does not clear up in 15 minutes, call the Cherokee County Water & Sewerage Authority Construction Office.

The Water and Sewerage Authority Construction Office can be reached at 770-720-6193 on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 770-479-2911 any other time.

Firefighters will also check for obstructions such as shrubbery, fences, and posts within 36 inches of hydrants, leaks and mechanical damage such as dented outlets, damaged stems, broken chains, damaged threads and missing caps, Cavender said.