(no subject)

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

Got a Tom Champion message re: the city of Somerville doing pipe work in my area that could lead to discolored water. It advised against doing laundry (apparently, could lead to rust stains).

I was planning on going to the laundromat tomorrow...but now I'm not sure if I should. It IS on the other side of Davis from me (almost to Porter). So how do I tell how far "in my area" extends? Anybody near Somerville Ave./Lowell St. get that call?

Comments

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Call 311 today and ask them?

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

Oh sure...use logic.

That'll teach me to ask questions late at night instead of waiting til morning to think it through.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

=) They are more likely to know than Dr. Internet, in this case.

[overstim.livejournal.com]

What? Tom Champion was caught laying pipe at the laundromat? Pass it on!

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

lol @ still owning a land line.

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm...nope, no land line. Just have my cell registered for snow alerts and apparently that translates into other "community update" type phone calls as well.

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

Then you are still cool.

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

Whew! I was worried for a second there.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

Laugh all you want, but I just got one for the first time in 5 years. I'm no luddite, but I find landline audio superior. It's also a lot more pleasant and comfortable to talk on when in the house.

[ron_newman]

Here on Day Street, I've heard trucks go by shouting a message from loudspeakers about flushing hydrants and discolored water. But no Tom Champion call.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

The discolored water comes from the protective rust layer in the pipes being dislodged due to an atypical flow pattern. The rust builds up under one flow and direction, and if the flow is increased (when flushing hydrants) or the direction is temporarily reversed, it's dislodged and comes out in the water. It's harmless to you, but it can stain your laundry.

In short, you will see your water discolored. If your water is clear, and stays clear for a while, then you're okay.

The pipe mains under the street will clear up pretty quickly. After that, you may only need to flush your house lines by letting the water run for a minute or so. You may also experience air in the lines.

Bear in mind, though, that any nearby laundromat will also be equally as affected.

[tomchampion.livejournal.com]

This thread raises a perennial question about how best to use Connect CTY.

Normally, I don't like to call neighborhoods to say something vague like: "we'll be flushing hydrants and water mains in your area over the next week, so be on the lookout for rusty water." My strong preference is to use Connect CTY only when I can call a well-defined area about an event that has specific start and end times so that folks get useful information that helps them plan ahead.

The problem with water mains (hydrants much less so) is that they can create transient rusty water issues several blocks away -- and I don't have a precise schedule of which mains are getting flushed on any given day. You can be right next to a flushed main and have no rust at all, but someone four blocks away will get rusty water for an hour or two. It's frustratingly random.

Because I received a specific request to do so, I have made one call this season into a portion of Ward 6. If and when I receive additional info from the Water Dept., I may make more calls to affected areas.

If you're uncertain about your water, run some in the sink before doing your laundry. if it's clear, launder away -- and if, in the VERY unlikely event that your washer gets a supply of rusty water that wandered down the pipe after you ran your test, don't put your clothes in the dryer (drying sets rust stains), but call 311 immediately to find out how to get free rust remover from the city. Please also note that the rusty water that may result from flushing is not a health issue: it's okay to drink or bathe in.

Sorry not be able to be more specific.

Ron: those loudspeaker notifications come from Water/Sewer Dept personnel doing the actual flushing. When you hear them, you know exactly where flushing is occurring that day.

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

Actually the call was quite useful in that it gave me a heads up re: my plans for doing laundry might not be the best idea. It was just a matter of figuring out where to get more information to find the boundaries of where the water might be an issue.

I called 311 and confirmed that while the work is happening around my house, it's not anywhere near the laundromat I plan on visiting, so I should be fine.

I guess the real problem would have been if it was happening around the laundromat as I would have had no warning, since I wouldn't receive a call about something not right near home. I guess I would have had to depend on THEM knowing about it and warning their customers appropriately. Do businesses who would be affected get similar warnings?

[ron_newman]

Which might be a problem if it's an unattended laundromat with just machines and no people.

completely off topic

[amethystmoon.livejournal.com]

but I like your Spike icon :)

Re: completely off topic

[tolchocky.livejournal.com]

um, ditto :)

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

We're on the other side of Porter, at Elm Street, and there's a laundromat even further from Porter than us at the end of Elm. We didn't receive the Tom Champion call, so I'm guessing we're safe, as is our laundromat. Dunno if this still helps you, but figured I'd post just in case. :)