The City of Salina will be finishing free chlorine treatment and restarting our annual fire hydrant flushing on July 13th, 2026. Following the devastating June 8th windstorm, fire hydrant flushing was paused. City crews are still in the process of picking up limbs across the city. Utilities crews will decide when to flush fire hydrants based on whether they can safely flush all fire hydrants without causing debris to be washed down in the storm sewer system, which could cause water backups and flood streets. The current plan is to flush all the remaining fire hydrants and be completed by July 30th. The map has been updated to reflect our new fire hydrant flushing schedule.
To minimize customer disruptions, the city will be completing the annual fire hydrant flushing during this time. A temporary variation in tap water color, as well as possible sediment, may occur. Running water at the tap for one or two minutes should help clear this temporary occurrence.
Avoid doing laundry if the water is discolored.
The annual flushing of fire hydrants is an important preventative maintenance activity which is necessary to maintain the integrity of the water distribution system and to ensure the delivery of high-quality water to our customers. Flushing the water distribution system achieves three objectives: helps to keep the interior of the water lines clean (removes sediment); helps maintain good quality water in the water distribution system; and provides an opportunity to check the operation of all fire hydrants. The water is safe to drink but may cause staining of laundry.
If you have any questions concerning these flushing activities, please call the Utilities Department representative 785-826-7305.
