HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL NR 2020-08-26 Water Flushing Reminder
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Media Contact:
Betsy Arnett, Public Information Officer
barnett@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2734
Building Owners and Tenants Reminded to Flush Plumbing
Systems at Vacant Buildings
Process to help eliminate bacteria growth while restoring quality of water.
Leesburg, VA (August 26, 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 disinfectant s that we add during
the treatment process degrade,” explains Russell Chambers, manager of Leesburg’s Kenneth
Rollins Water Filtration Plant. “In order to restore water quality, building owners need to f lush
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 system 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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