The City of Rhinelander Water Utility will once again begin flushing the distribution system. Flushing will begin at 8 a.m. and finish around 2 p.m. Hydrants will be flushed Monday through Thursday.

During flushing, residents may experience a discoloration of the water in their home or business. Once the hydrant flushing is complete, the water quality will improve. Before doing any laundry or other projects that may suffer from discolored water, make sure the tap water is running clear. The city flushes hydrants to clean out iron deposits in the water lines, to verify the hydrants are working properly and to assure continued high quality drinking water. After flushing in each area is complete, the utility recommends users in that area run the tap water for five or 10 minutes to purge their plumbing systems of sediment and to minimize discoloration problems.

The distribution system will be flushed starting June 3, 2013. This flushing process could take up to four to six weeks to complete, depending on conditions that occur in the field. Flushing announcements can be seen daily at starjournalnow.com.