HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL NR 2020-05-06 vacant building water flushing
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Media Contact:
Betsy Arnett, Public Information Officer
barnett@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2734
Vacant Commercial Buildings Should Flush Plumbing Systems
to Restore Water Quality
Stagnant water can lead to bacteria growth.
Leesburg, VA (May 6, 2020) – An unintended consequence of the business shut-downs due to
the coronavirus pandemic is water stagnation and the potential for the growth of bacteria, such
as Legionella, in the buildings’ water lines. Any building that has been closed, or has had limited
water usage, for a week or longer, including office buildings, restaurants, hotels, shopping
centers, churches, and day care centers, could experience a decline in water quality.
“When water sits unused in a building’s plumbing system, the disinfectants that we add during
the treatment process degrade,” explains Russell Chambers, the manager of Leesburg’s
Kenneth Rollins Water Filtration Plant. “In order to restore water quality, building owners need
to flush the old water out of the plumbing lines and replace it with fresh water from our
distribution system.”
The Town of Leesburg Utilities Department advises all commercial building owners and tenants
to flush their plumbing systems if their building has been closed or has had low water usage for
a week or longer. Ideally, a building’s plumbing should be flushed once a week while closed or
having low usage.
Complete information about flushing a building’s plumbing systems is available on the Town of
Leesburg website at www.leesburgva.gov/water-flushing.
Customers with questions about their water usage and the need to flush their buildings should
contact the Leesburg Utilities Department at watersewer@leesburgva.gov.
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