Dead end water mains are often found at the end of cul-de-sac streets and older neighborhoods. Dead end water mains do not provide enough flow to keep water fresh and chlorine levels presents. Due to this fact, water distribution crew has a preventative maintenance cycle set up for flushing dead end water mains to ensure high water quality and acceptable chlorine residual.

Currently water mains are being flushed on Menalto Avenue in the Willows and on Branner Drive off Sand Hill Road. The process of flushing these water mains may cause some side effects such as brown water. This is not a danger to the public but the Menlo Park Municipal Water wants to be notified if you report brown water at your house.

During this routine flushing process staff will check the water to ensure its quality. As staff flush these main lines they record the beginning chlorine residual, ending chlorine residual, and estimated gallons flushed to help us figure out which dead end mains needs to be flushed most often. All dead end mains are not equal; some have higher usage which helps keep water fresher over time. These dead end mains may not need to be flushed as often as a large main line feeding a cul-de-sac with very few homes on it. Due to the variability in this process it is essential that our staff keep accurate records so we can prioritize our work and maintain water quality. If you want more information about water quality please view the June 2020 Water Quality Report.

For questions or to report a water quality concern, please contact Menlo Park Municipal Water.