Blades

Blades Household Flushing Plan

Home Flushing Plan for Town of Blades Residents 02-22-18-Town-of-Blades-Home-Flushing-Plan-Fact-Sheet (3)

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the Division of Public Health (DPH), and the Town of Blades today announced that the town’s new carbon filtration system has significantly lowered perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the town’s water system below the US Environmental Protection Agency’s health advisory level for PFCs, and that the town’s water will be safe for drinking and cooking upon completion of residents’ flushing of their home water systems.

Results from testing of the town’s water after carbon filtration returned a PFC level of 3.4 parts per trillion (3.4 ppt) compared to EPA’s health advisory of 70 ppt.

Blades has completed the flushing of municipal water through carbon filtration. As the final step in the process for removing PFCs from the town’s water, residents who are on public water are recommended to begin flushing water through their homes before using it for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth.

Blades residents should begin flushing their homes by following these steps in order: 

1. Turn on outside faucets for 10 minutes. All faucets can be turned on at once. Shut off faucets after 10 minutes.

1. Turn bathtub faucets/showers on full Hot until the water cools. All bathtub faucets/showers should be turned on at the same time. Shut off bathtub faucets/showers after water from the fixtures starts to cool. 
2. Turn other faucets on one at a time for 5 minutes each (Hot and Cold can be turned on simultaneously). Start on the first floor and continue to the second floor and any additional levels.
3. Showers and tubs should be run a second time until Hot water cools, out of an abundance of caution.
4. Flush all toilets one time.
5. Remove and dispose of all ice from refrigerator ice makers. If you also have a water dispenser on your refrigerator, run three gallons of water through it.
6. Tankless water heaters or point-of-use (e.g. under the sink) water heaters, if in use, should be flushed for 30 minutes.

NOTE: This plan is for single-family residential properties ONLY. Commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-family units need to be advised on a case-by-case basis. Anyone who has questions can call the DPH Office of Drinking Water at 302-741-8630, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

ADVISORY: DNREC, DPH and the Town of Blades will hold a public information meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 1 at the Blades Fire Hall, 200 East Fifth Street, Blades, DE 19973. Representatives from both state agencies and the town will present updates on Blades’ area drinking water and answer questions.