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1. My water is discolored, is it safe to drink? What do I do?

If you are experiencing brown water in your toilet and sink, it can be alarming.

At times, water can have an unpleasant odor, taste, or appearance. These aesthetic characteristics usually don't pose a public health threat and, in most cases, they don't last long.

Discolored water and trapped air are common occurrences after a water main break or other water system maintenance work. Discolored water is caused by sediment and mineral deposits in the pipes that can be stirred up when the water is turned off and then back on following work on the water distribution system.

Flushing the cold water pipes in your home or business usually clears up the discolored water and will allow trapped air to be released.

If the discolored water persists after running your cold water lines for five minutes, please report it to the City of Bellmead.

2. What is backflow and who do I call for questions?

Backflow is an unwanted flow of water in the reverse direction. It can cause health risks by contaminating our potable water.

What can stop this from happening? A backflow preventer, is sometimes called a reduced pressure zone (RPZ) device.

Please call 254-749-4070 with questions concerning our backflow program.

3. Why does the City flush water lines and fire hydrants?

Residents who notice Water and Sewer Department crews working at fire hydrants and see water running into the street may think that the Department is ignoring its own philosophy of conserving our water resources. The process of periodically "flushing" water lines with fire hydrants, however, is an important preventive maintenance activity. Although it may appear to waste water, this process is part of a routine maintenance program necessary to maintain the integrity of the water system and allowing us to continue to deliver the highest quality water possible to our customers.

The flushing route is carefully planned, and valves are opened and closed to control the direction of the water flow. Flushing the water system on a routine basis removes sediment from lines and keeps the entire distribution system "refreshed". As a result of the line flushing process, residents in the immediate vicinity of the work may experience temporary discoloration of their water. This discoloration consists primarily of harmless silt and air and does not affect the safety of the water. If you experience discoloration in your water after crews have been flushing in your neighborhood, clear the pipes in your own home by running all water faucets for a minute or two.

This same philosophy of water line preventive maintenance is one that you should use in your own home to ensure the quality of water inside your home. Your home's water heater should be drained and flushed on a regular basis, according to manufacturers' recommendations, to keep it working effectively and efficiently.

Also, if you go out of town and there is no water use in your home for a week or more, when you return, it's always a good idea to run all your faucets for a minute or so before using the water. This ensures that you don't use any stagnant water that may have developed in your home's pipes while you were away. Water your house plants with this potentially stagnant water so it's not wasted.

4. Why is all of that water just flowing out of the hydrant and into the street?

Hydrant flushing can prevent highly chlorinated water from entering the rest of the system after a leak or repair. The hydrants are also flushed to maintain the correct level of disinfectant in the water. Disinfectants degrade over time and need testing and adjustments to keep water safe. Heat actually makes this happen faster, so flushing is especially important during the summer.

5. Why is my water so warm?

Water in the Trinity Aquifer is typically located between 50 ft to 3000 ft below the surface. The City of Bellmead pumps water from around the 1000ft mark plus/minus, which is around 120 degrees Fahrenheit when it enters our reservoirs.

As a courtesy to our customers, we use evaporative cooling towers to reduce the water temperature and deliver it at a more acceptable temperature. Sometimes we can reduce the temperature as much as 30 degrees in ideal conditions but humidity and air temperature can drastically affect the cooling efficiency. In the summer months, our customers may experience cold faucet temperatures ranging from 85 to 95 degrees.

6. What is drinking water chlorination?

Drinking water chlorination is the addition of chlorine to drinking water systems. It is the most common type of drinking water disinfection. Disinfection kills bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that cause disease and immediate illness. Chlorine is effective and continues to keep the water safe as it travels from the treatment plant to the consumer's tap.

A little over 100 years ago, waterborne diseases like typhoid fever and dysentery were a common part of life in the United States —and a common cause of death, too. In the early 1900s, cities started disinfecting drinking water supplies to kill bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. Both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regard disinfection of drinking water as one of the most important advances in public health.

7. Is drinking water chlorination required?

Chlorination or other continuous disinfection (disinfection that protects from the treatment plant to the consumer’s tap) is required for public water systems that:

• Use surface water, such as rivers, lakes, and streams, as their source; 
• Have treatment processes that expose the water to outside or open air; or
• Add treatment chemicals for corrosion control; these chemicals can feed microorganisms and cause them to grow 

Disinfection is recommended but not required for other community public water systems

8. Is chlorinated water safe to drink?

Yes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits the amount of chlorine in drinking water to levels that are safe for human consumption. The levels of chlorine used for drinking water disinfection are unlikely to cause long-term health effects.

During water treatment, chlorine can combine with naturally occurring organic matter in the water to form compounds called disinfection byproducts (DBPs). DBPs can cause negative health effects after regular, long-term exposure. 

The EPA has set limits for several types of DBPs. All public water systems that disinfect must regularly test their treated water to measure levels of regulated DBPs. If they are above the limits set by EPA, the water system must take action to reduce the DBPs. This action includes notifying all of their customers of the DBP levels.

9. What can water systems do about taste and/or smell from chlorination?

When a system first starts chlorinating, it is normal for people to say they can taste and/or smell the chlorine. Over time, the system stabilizes, and any tastes or smells will decrease or go away. People also usually get used to chlorine in water over time.

Public water systems work hard to keep the level of chlorine in the water at a level that effectively disinfects, while keeping taste and odor to a minimum.

10. Is there anything I can do about the taste and/or smell?

If you are bothered by the taste or smell, there are a few things you can do:

• Put a pitcher of water in the refrigerator and let it sit uncovered for a few hours. This will allow the chlorine smell to leave the water.
• Use cold water for all drinking water. Cold water has fewer taste and smell concerns. (Using cold water also makes the water less likely to absorb lead and copper from plumbing.)
• Use a filter. All water treatment units, even those in your home, require regular maintenance to work properly. Water treatment units that are not properly maintained will lose their effectiveness over time. In some cases, unmaintained units can make water quality worse and make you sick. 
  • Most common point-of-use filters (e.g. pitcher filters) will remove chlorine taste and smell.
  • Granular activated carbon filters will remove chlorine taste and smell. They can be more effective, but are usually more expensive than point-of-use filters. They can be installed either at the tap/sink or as whole-house filters.

11. Are there other options for disinfection besides chlorination?

Besides chlorine, there are several other types of disinfectants. Each has tradeoffs. Chloramines may form lower levels of regulated DBPs than chlorine, but, depending on the source water characteristics, they have the potential to form other DBPs and increase the risks of nitrate formation and corrosion in the distribution system. Ozone is effective and has no taste, but it can also create other DBPs and does not provide protection in the distribution system, so chloramines or chlorine must still be added to protect the water. Ultraviolet (UV) light is effective in clear water and does not form DBPs. But like ozone, UV light does not provide protection in the distribution system, so chloramines or chlorine must still be added to protect water from the treatment plant to the tap.

12. What about bathing or showering with chlorinated water?

Chlorine does not get into the body through your skin. The amount of chlorine in the water is too low to cause breathing problems. Some people who are very sensitive to chlorine could experience skin irritation. Because the amount of chlorine in drinking water is extremely small – far less than in a swimming pool – this situation is expected to be rare.

Disinfection byproducts (DBP) can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin during activities like bathing and showering. There is limited information about the health risks of breathing or coming in to contact with DBPs. Point-of-use filtration devices can be used to lower DBP levels in water.

13. Does chlorine affect home water treatment, like water softening?

Chlorination will not affect the operation of common home water treatment units, such as water softeners and pitchers. You should always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for installation, cleaning, and maintenance of a water treatment unit.