Photo by Mason Callejas

Local water supplier Global Water suggested on Thursday residents living in the vicinity of recent water main ruptures should flush faucets to clean silt dislodged by pressure changes.

Following three separate incidents where main water supply lines broke on Honeycutt Road, Porter Road and in the Maricopa Meadows subdivision, Global Water customers have reported murky or “dirty water” coming from their faucets.

Rather than silt or sand entering the supply lines at the point of failure, Global Water General Manager Jon Corwin said it’s more likely the murky water is due to sediment already present in the lines that was dislodged by pressure changes.

“You’re going to have a little bit of sand and silt in the pipes naturally,” Corwin said. “And so when an event like this happens it can stir up some of that sediment.”

Global Water says there is no danger in consuming the murky tap water, and by simply opening faucets and allowing them to run clean customers can expel most of the accumulated sediment.

In other areas Global Water customers may also experience white, cloudy water, which is not attributed to sediment, but is instead due to excessive air in the lines, an issue that can also in part be remedied by flushing taps.

Though the exact cause of the ruptures has yet to be determined, Corwin said the incidents were likely unrelated. Possible causes include sub-standard construction and/or materials, as well as geological variations in the ground around the pipes.

“The one [break] here specifically, on Honeycutt, the bottom of the main line failed,” Corwin said. “There was about a 10 foot crack, but there wasn’t an obvious point of failure.”

The exact age of the pipes is unknown. However, Corwin believes most of the lines they inherited from their predecessor, the 387 District, were installed 12 to 15 years ago.

Global Water encourages customers to notify them if these issues persist or if they have any other questions or concerns about their water.