West Newbury / Newburyport 
Fall Hydrant Flushing 

Newburyport 
Beginning: Monday, October 3, 2022 

The Water Division of the Newburyport Department of Public Services has begun flushing the city’s water system on Monday, October 3, 2022 and will continue through the month of October. The work will begin in the west end of the city and proceeds eastward across the entire system. Flushing will take place between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Night flushing of the large mains will take place from 7:00 p.m. until midnight. Schedules for specific areas will be listed on the City’s website at www.cityofnewburyport.com

The Town of West Newbury purchases some of its domestic water from the City of Newburyport so when they are flushing hydrants it will affect West Newbury residents that are connected to the municipal water system. Low water pressure, discolored/milky water, air in pipes and at times, no water, may be experienced during flushing.  When flushing is completed in your area, or at the end of each day, running your cold-water faucet should alleviate this problem. Residents are advised to check the City’s website at www.cityofnewburyport.com for daily street location updates or call the DPS Water/Sewer Business Office at (978) 465-4420. Office hours are: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

West Newbury 
Beginning:  Friday, October 7, 2022 

The West Newbury Water Department will begin its fall hydrant flushing on Friday night, October 7th. Water valves will be opened and closed at 1:00 p.m. and flushing will start at 9:00 p.m. with hydrants along Main Street from the Groveland town line to the Newburyport town line. Flushing will continue through 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. We will not be flushing hydrants on Monday, October 10th (Columbus Day).  

Daytime Hydrant Flushing on secondary roads will commence on Tuesday, October 11th and continue through Friday, October 21st from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. No flushing will take place during the weekend of October 15th. At this time hydrants on roads south of Main Street are scheduled to be flushed October 11th-14th including Norino Drive and Mirra Way on the north side of Main Street. Hydrants on roads north of Main Street are scheduled to be flushed October 17th–21st. This schedule could change if the south side of Main Street is completed sooner than we expected, so please be aware of hydrant flushing in your neighborhood.   

Flushing hydrants will cause the water to become discolored as sediment is removed from the water system and customers may experience intervals of low water pressure as well. If you have discolored water, wait until flushing is completed in your area and at a minimum, wait 15-minutes and then run the cold-water faucet until the water runs clear. 

Do not run the hot water as discolored water can be pulled into your hot water tank and take longer to clear up.  Before doing laundry, residents are advised to run the cold water to make sure it runs clear. Try to avoid using bleach whenever possible as it may cause the iron and manganese to permanently stain clothes.  
If clothing is stained after washing, Do Not Machine Dry.  

There are products available, free of charge, in the Water Department office that will help take the stain out during re-washing or you can purchase the product at most grocery and hardware stores. The product would have a name like Iron Out or Rust-B-Gone. 

Officials recommend that homeowners refrain from washing laundry after 9:00 p.m. on Friday, October, 7th through the late afternoon on Saturday, October 8th.

Starting on Tuesday, October 11th, residents should only plan on washing laundry during the evening hours, after 6:00p.m. when flushing is not scheduled. Continue to wash laundry in the evening until Friday, October, 21st when hydrant flushing is scheduled to be completed. 
Please note that hydrant flushing takes place twice a year in West Newbury during the months of April (Patriots Day) and October (Columbus Day).    
The Water Department appreciates your cooperation during this period. 
If you have any questions, please contact the Water Department at (978) 363-1100 ext. 127 or email the department at [email protected].