The flushing generally occurs from Monday to Friday, 7am to 3:30pm starting in May and continuing through to October.
Watermain Flushing
Drinking Water Distribution Infrastructure Maintenance
The Town of Midland maintains a water distribution system that includes approximately 584 fire hydrants and 120 kilometers of watermains! This vital infrastructure is regularly maintained to ensure clean, reliable, and safe drinking water reaches your home every day.
Watermain flushing is a maintenance activity that involves moving water at a higher-than-normal velocity, scouring the inside of the watermain and essentially cleaning it out.
The Town conducts unidirectional flushing each year. This maintenance activity ensures we continue to provide the highest quality drinking water within our water distribution system. Watermain flushing typically takes place from May to October and is competed by zone. Information on this webpage is updated when maintenance is taking place.
How Flushing Works
- Yellow fire hydrants are owned by the Town; they are an important component of the water distribution system as they are an access point for watermain flushing activities.
- Unidirectional flushing uses a hydraulic cleaning method to clear blockages, debris and other unwanted material from pipe mains. Water is drained from fire hydrant at high speeds out onto the street and into a storm drain.This high-speed water lifts and flushes sediment and mineral deposits from the pipes.
- Flushing can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours per pipe, depending on the size of the pipe and the amount of sediment that needs to be removed.
What to Expect
When crews perform flushing activities in your neighbourhood, you may:
- experience a temporary drop in pressure.
- notice temporary discolouration. The water remains safe to use. If temporary discolouration occurs, run a cold water tap in your laundry tub or bathtub for approximately 5–10 minutes until the water runs clear.
Residents are encouraged to limit water use while watermain flushing is taking place in their area. This routine maintenance is expected to impact your water service for just one day each year. We appreciate your understanding as we remain dedicated to delivering you highest quality water service.
2026 Schedule
| Zone | Status |
|---|---|
| 1 | Flushing underway |
| 2 | Scheduled for June |
| 3 | Scheduled for June/July |
| 4 | Scheduled for July |
| 5 | Scheduled for July/August |
Frequently Asked Questions
What time of day does flushing generally occur?
Can I use the water during flushing time?
While flushing is taking place, try not to use your water. If you must, first run cold water until it is clear to remove any particles from your system.
There may be a slight drop in pressure or a presence of discoloration from the minerals and sediments that are being flushed out of the system.
You may also experience low water pressure while we are flushing. Your pressure will return to normal once our flushing has ended.
I'm experiencing discoloured tap water. What do I do?
There can be many causes for brown or discoloured water coming out of your tap, including construction or maintenance work in the area, water distribution pump disruptions, in-home softening and filtration equipment, in-home plumbing work, etc. These activities may cause stirred-up sediment, which is usually harmless and can be cleared up by running cold water for 5–10 minutes.
If you notice your water is discoloured, please run the cold water tap in your shower or bathtub for 5–10 minutes to clear any sediment and discolouration. If the water is still discoloured after this time, please call 705-526-4275 or email service@midland.ca to provide your address and confirm you’ve run cold water for 5–10 minutes. A water operator can investigate.
