Illinois American Water to Conduct Fire Hydrant Flushing and Treatment Change

This week, Illinois American Water will begin its an annual maintenance program, which includes testing and flushing fire hydrants in addition to a temporary change in water treatment. This work helps to ensure continued water quality and fire protection to homes and businesses; it will occur across the Metro East water distribution system for the next two months.

While Illinois American Water crews are testing and flushing fire hydrants, customers may experience a slight drop in water pressure or draw some discolored water for a short period of time. If discolored water occurs, it is recommended that customers refrain from doing laundry and let their cold water run briefly; the water should clear up on its own.

In addition to the hydrant maintenance and flushing, Illinois American Water’s water quality team will be switching treatment to a form of chlorine known as “free chlorine,” which does not contain ammonia. This stronger disinfectant is typically used by water utilities when flushing water mains and fire hydrants. Chlorine is commonly used in public water systems as a disinfectant and is monitored closely by our water quality professionals.

During the temporary treatment change, customers may experience a more noticeable chlorine taste or odor in their water. There is no reason for concern. This is due to the switch in chlorine types.

Institutions with additional water purification filters for special needs, for instance Hospitals and Dialysis Centers, have been contacted about this work and are aware of the treatment change. Anyone with questions about home health care equipment should reach out to their healthcare provider.

The maintenance program will occur in all direct service communities in the Belleville, East St. Louis and Granite City areas and also sale-for-resale (wholesale) communities. Customers are being notified of this work via media outreach, customer calls and information on Illinois American Water's website at www.illinoisamwater.com. Information is also provided to customer service center representatives. For additional information, customers can visit www.illinoisamwater.com or contact Illinois American Water’s customer service center at 1-800-422-2782.

About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 45 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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