File photo of Lethbridge City Hall (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

City reminding business owners to flush their building’s pipes before reopening

May 12, 2020 | 11:06 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Before reopening their doors, businesses are being reminding to check for stagnant water in their buildings.

The City of Lethbridge said water in buildings that have been vacant for the last two months or so could have become stagnant, which could lead to low chlorine levels, discoloration, or taste and odour issues.

“We’re just reminding people to freshen that [water] up, to flush the plumbing within the building to replace the water that’s been sitting there this whole time with fresh water from the network in the street,” said Doug Kaupp, general manager of water and wastewater at the City of Lethbridge.

Stagnant water can result in elevated lead, copper and Legionella levels at the tap. Kaupp is suggested business owners or operators flush each fixture in their building.

He explained that for large structures, plumbing can be complicated and may take some planning, but overall, it’s a simple process that “doesn’t take long”.

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“You just open your fixtures [e.g. taps] starting with the cold water and run it until it feels cold, and then you know that what’s been sitting there all along has been flushed out and then move on to the hot water. Make sure your hot water tank is operating and the water is hot, so that it can kill anything that’s in there, that’s been growing while we’ve been waiting around,” he explained.

Further instructions on flushing water from a building’s plumbing can be found via the City of Lethbridge website.