How to Flush Your Household Pipes and Water Heaters
Household pipes:
A bleachy or chemical taste and odor in the water in your home or business is often caused by an accumulation of organic material in the plumbing. Chlorine is added to the City of Albany’s water to control bacterial regrowth. This chlorine can react with the organic material to create a very strong chemical or bleachy taste and odor.
Flushing your water pipes can eliminate the accumulation of organic material:
- Remove the screens (called aerators) from the ends of indoor faucets and simultaneously run all of the faucets wide open for three to five minutes.
- Flush each toilet two or three times while the faucets are running. Simultaneously running faucets and flushing toilets generates a large flow of water through the pipes and should dislodge any buildup of organic material that is causing the taste and odor. Removing the aerators before flushing the plumbing will prevent anything dislodged by flushing from accumulating on the screens.
- After three to five minutes of flushing, turn off the faucets, clean the aerators, and reattach them on the faucets.
Water Heaters:
Water heaters should be flushed at least once a year — twice a year is even better — to control the buildup of mineral deposits. This will help the water heater operate more efficiently and will usually extend its life.
The water heater will also need to be flushed if the hot water becomes a yellow or brownish color due to an accumulation of rust or if you find sand-like mineral sediment in the hot water.
Here’s how to flush your water heater:
Do not shut off the gas or the water supply to the heater.
- Attach a garden hose to the draincock at the bottom of the heater. The draincock usually looks like a regular hose bib (garden faucet) or a round dial with a threaded hole in the middle.
- Extend the garden hose to a place where the water can safely exit the heater, such as a sink drain or the driveway.
- Open the draincock to allow the water to drain. Caution: water leaving the heater will be hot and under normal household water pressure.
Also note: If the draincock is made of plastic and the heater is several years old, it may be difficult to open and may break easily if forced. - After five minutes of flushing, fill a white bucket or large light-colored container with the still-flushing water.
- Allow the water in the bucket to stand undisturbed for a minute and see if it is clear or if any sand-like material settles to the bottom. If the water is clear and no sand-like material is observed, go on to step 6. If the water is discolored and/or you see sand-like material at the bottom of the bucket, repeat steps 3 and 4 until the flushed water is completely clear and free of sediment.
- Close the draincock and remove the garden hose.
If you do not feel comfortable doing this work yourself, you may want to hire a licensed plumber to do it for you.
- Details
Frequently asked questions about water quality in your home
What should I do if my water tastes or smells bad?
Sometimes household odors (drains, compost buckets, new furnishings, etc.) may be mistaken for odors in drinking water. Fill up a glass of water and take it outside or to another room to determine if it is the source of odor. If the odor is from hot water only, water heater maintenance may be required. Water sitting in pipes for a long period of time may develop a taste or odor from household plumbing. Flush taps until the water runs cold to bring in fresh water from the mains. Click here for more information on how to flush your household pipes and water heater. To further reduce taste and odor problems, remove and clean faucet aerators regularly and replace any in-home water filters according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Why does my water smell like bleach?
The City of Albany is required to disinfect the drinking water. A residual level of chlorine stays in the distribution system to keep bacteria from growing in the pipes. As a result, customers may notice a chlorine or bleach smell and taste in the water, which can get worse as the chlorine reacts with organic material that can build up in your home plumbing over time. If you’ve followed the guidelines on flushing your household pipes and water heater mentioned above and the problem persists, call us at 541-917-7600 or email.
Why is my water discolored?
When the water from your faucet is discolored, this usually indicates a disturbance in the water main. In all public water systems, a fine layer of sediment accumulates on the bottom of the water mains over time. These sediments can be stirred up by hydrant use, valve turning, main breaks or adjacent construction and cause the water to be discolored. Usually, the water will clear on its own within a few hours.
- The discolored water is not a health threat. It has been treated and is safe to drink though may be unpleasant to do so.
- If there are particles or sediment in the water, avoid using it. It may not be harmful but sediments can clog aerators and home filters. It is fine to use this water to flush toilets, but avoid doing laundry or using dishwashers until the water has cleared.
- Avoid using hot water until the pipes clear to avoid drawing dirty water into your hot water tank.
- After an hour or so, run the cold water for several minutes to see if it is clear. When one faucet runs clear, run the cold water through all home faucets until each is clear. This step will eliminate dirty water that may have been drawn into your pipes.
- If this does not go away in a few hours, call us at 541-917-7600 or email.
Brown, red, orange, and yellow water are all caused by iron. The different colors can be attributed to varying chemical oxidation states of the iron (rust) and by varying concentrations of the rust in the water. Rusty water can come from two major sources: the water pipes in your house, apartment, or business or the City of Albany’s water mains.
The most common cause of brown, red, orange, or yellow water is rusty steel water pipes in your house, apartment, or business. On average, galvanized steel pipes will last about 20 years before showing signs of corrosion (rusting). Well-made galvanized pipe can last as long as 40 years, while poorly-made pipe can show signs of corroding in just a few years. If old, rusty pipes are discoloring your water, the only permanent solution is to replace the pipes. Replacing only some of the pipes can improve the problem, or it can actually make it worse. If some of the old steel pipes are replaced with new copper pipes and the two different metals are connected directly together, the copper can cause the steel to rust even more than before the replacement. This process can be stopped with the use of a proper dielectric coupling between the dissimilar pipes. Consult an experienced seller of plumbing materials or an experienced plumber. Water that is being discolored by rusty pipes is not a health hazard but it does indicate that the pipes are corroding and they can eventually begin leaking. Many older buildings also have steel pipes from the water meter to the house, apartment, or business. These supply lines may also need to be replaced.
Fine brown sediment accumulates at the bottom of some of the City of Albany’s water mains over the years. This sediment may contain small amounts of silt and organic material from our reservoirs, but most of it is rust from the inside walls of the water mains. Normally, this rusty sediment remains undisturbed at the bottom of the water main. If an unusually high flow of water through the main occurs, this sediment can become disturbed and temporarily suspended in the water causing a brown, red, orange, or yellow color. Unusual water flows are commonly caused by a broken water main, a City of Albany Water Distribution Crew working on a water main, a fire hydrant being knocked off its base in an automobile accident, or by someone operating a fire hydrant nearby. This type of disturbance usually lasts for 2-4 hours; after which the sediment will settle back out and the water will clear. The discolored water is not a health threat. If you, your child, or your pet happen to drink some of the discolored water, it will not make you sick; however, it is often very unpleasant, so it is best to wait several hours for the water to clear before using it. While the water is discolored, do not wash any laundry, as the rust can stain clothing; and do not use any hot water or you will draw rusty water into your hot water tank and may have to flush it out later. If you were doing laundry when the water became discolored, rewash it later when the water clears. Use a rust stain remover or regular detergent. DO NOT USE CHLORINE BLEACH. Chlorine reacts with iron and can form a permanent stain.
The first step in solving a discolored water problem is to determine if it is on your property or in City supply lines.
Common characteristics of a corrosion problem on your property include:
- Water that is discolored every morning or when first used after several hours of disuse.
- Water clears after it has run for a few minutes.
- Discoloration may be at only one or at several faucets, not necessarily all of them.
- Discoloration is in both hot and cold water.
These are some common characteristics of a City water main disturbance:
- The water was clear then suddenly became discolored.
- Only cold water is discolored.
- The water is discolored at all of the faucets on the property and does not clear or improve after water has run for several minutes.
If you are still not sure if the discolored water is due to your pipes or our water mains, check the water supply. When you notice the water is discolored on your property, turn off the faucet. Immediately take a clean glass or a white bowl and go to the faucet (hose bib) at the front of your house, apartment, or business. Turn the water on wide open and run it for a full five minutes. Check your watch; five minutes is a long time. After five minutes, fill the glass or bowl with water. If the water is clear at this faucet, your plumbing is likely causing the problem. If the problem becomes chronic and the water supply at the front is always clear, you should consult a plumber. If the water at the front tap is discolored after running for five minutes, the problem may be coming from the City’s water main. If the water does not clear within 24 hours, contact the City of Albany Water Operations at 541-917-7600. If you call after hours, leave a message including your name, address, telephone number, and a brief description of your problem or request; we will return your call at the soonest opportunity.
What if my water is white or cloudy?
Milky white water, also described as cloudy, hazy, soapy, or foamy, is almost always caused by air in the water. One of the many properties of water is its ability to dissolve gases including air. Sometimes air comes back out of water in many tiny bubbles; this gives the water a milky white appearance. Air in your water may be more noticeable with seasonal temperature changes and also after your water has been turned off, then back on.
To see if the white color in the water is due to air, fill a clear glass with water, set it down and watch it for two or three minutes. If the white color is due to air, the water will begin to clear at the bottom of the glass first and gradually clear all the way to the top. This is a natural phenomenon, completely normal, and the water is safe to use. If your water is cloudy or milky white and it does not clear in a glass after five minutes, call us at 541-917-7600 or email.
What causes stains or slime on sinks or plumbing?
Stains or colored films, slime, or residue can be a result of bacteria or an interaction with different metals in household plumbing. While the stains may be bothersome, your water will usually still be safe to drink and use. Regular cleaning with common household cleaners can control stains on sinks or plumbing fixtures. Common stains and their causes include:
- Reddish-brown stains on sink or plumbing fixtures are most often noticed along with brownish water. They are most common in older homes with galvanized pipe, but can be found in homes of any age. Reddish brown stains may indicate high levels of iron from rust in the pipes.
- Blue-green stains on sinks or plumbing fixtures are due to copper in the water from copper plumbing. Typically, this occurs in homes less than two years old. This problem gradually clears up on its own.
- Pink film, usually seen on white bathroom fixtures, commonly occurs from airborne bacteria that grow in moist humid environments such as bathrooms. It is harmless and can be cleaned with a general cleaner.
Do I need to treat the water before I use it for my fish tank?
Yes. Your drinking water contains disinfectants to inhibit bacterial growth. These disinfectants can kill fish. Appropriate chemicals that neutralize chlorine are available at most pet stores. Chlorine can also be removed with a granular activated carbon (GAC) water filter. Chlorine can be removed from the water by letting a container of the water sit exposed to the atmosphere (uncovered) for at least 48 hours.
Some fish, particularly tropical fish and koi, are also sensitive to rapid changes in the temperature and pH of the water – even small changes. If you are going to change the water in an aquarium or pond or add a significant amount of new water, consult an experienced fish-care expert for tips on how to accomplish this without shocking or killing your fish.
Some people may be concerned that water harmful to fish might not be safe for them to drink. Humans and fish use water in very different ways. When humans drink water, the chlorine or chloramines are neutralized by our digestive system before it enters our bloodstream. When fish “breathe” water, any chlorine or chloramines present enter their bloodstream directly. This interferes with the fish’s ability to take oxygen from the water and can cause the fish to suffocate. To further illustrate this point, consider orange juice. People are urged to drink orange juice for its health benefits. However, if a fish were placed in a bowl of orange juice it would suffer a swift and unpleasant death due to the juice’s acid content.
How can I get my water tested?
The City of Albany can perform some analysis of your water quality depending on your concerns. To find out what we can offer, call 541-917-7600 or email.
For more extensive testing, private laboratories can test your tap water for a fee. Not all labs are accredited to test for all contaminants. Click here for a list of accredited labs provided by the Oregon Health Authority. Be sure to follow the sampling guidelines provided by the laboratory.
Whom can I call about water quality or pressure concerns?
Call us at 541-917-7600 or email. Be sure to visit our websites on Water Quality and Flow & Pressure for more information.
- Details
Drinking Water Quality
Quality drinking water comes from proactively managing the water system in a way that prevents or reduces contamination of drinking water from source to tap in order to reduce risks to public health. This is known in the drinking water world as the multi-barrier approach to safe drinking water. The five elements of the multi-barrier approach are:
2.
Robust water treatment
3.
A secure and maintained water distribution network
Source Water Protection
The cities of Albany and Millersburg and the Dumbeck Lane Water District receive their drinking water from the Santiam River system via two water treatment plants, one served by the Santiam-Albany Canal and the other by the main stem of the Santiam River. Protecting these drinking water sources is vital to sustaining our safe drinking water supplies. A source water assessment report was completed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in 2002 for the water serving the Santiam-Albany Canal. The report concluded that the source water may be susceptible to contamination from sediments (turbidity), microbiological sources and nutrients. Click here to view the Summary Brochure.
While drinking water quality impacts are not likely to occur from these potential contaminants due to our robust treatment systems, it is important to protect these water sources to reduce the potential for contamination and the need for additional treatment. To help protect our water sources, the City supports the following programs:
- South Santiam Watershed Council
- North Santiam Watershed Council
- Calapooia Watershed Council
- Eco Rangers
If you would like to help in protecting our community’s drinking water sources, we encourage you to visit the websites above and consider volunteering. At a minimum, make sure you dispose of household hazardous wastes and use pesticides/fertilizers properly.
Water Quality Monitoring Programs
The City of Albany samples our drinking water for approximately 88 different regulated contaminants on an ongoing basis (continuous, daily, monthly, quarterly, and annually or another monitoring schedule, depending on requirements). Sampling is conducted to 1) assure water quality and 2) look for changes or trends on which to base operational decisions. For more information on our water quality monitoring programs, see below:
Cross Connection Control and Backflow Prevention
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the City of Albany to maintain a cross connection control program to protect the drinking water from pollution and contamination. To learn more about the City’s program, click here.
Water Quality Data
To comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, the City of Albany submits water quality data to Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services (OHA). OHA enters this data into their Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). The data is displayed online for all public drinking water systems at yourwater.oregon.gov. You can look up data by using the system’s name (City of Albany) or identification number (#4100012). SDWIS provides the most real-time water quality data available. If you have questions about this data, please call us at 541-917-7600 or email. You may also contact OHA by calling 971-673-0405.
Annual Water Quality Reports
The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments required all Community Public Water Systems to begin providing customers with an annual Consumer Confidence Report, otherwise known as a Water Quality Report. The reports must be delivered to customers by July 1 each year for the prior calendar year. This report provides important information about the high quality of drinking water Albany provides to homes, businesses, and industry throughout the City of Albany, City of Millersburg, and the Dumbeck Lane Water District. If you have questions about these reports, please call us at 541-917-7600 or email.
Water Quality in the Home
Do you have questions about the quality of water in your home? Check out these frequently asked questions. If you still have questions, please call us at 541-917-7600 or email.
Reducing exposure to lead in Albany
Lead-contaminated drinking water in Flint, Michigan recently has drawn national attention to the issue of controlling lead exposure in public drinking water systems. The City of Albany has worked to control lead in its water system for many years; it is one of our standard operating procedures for keeping drinking water clean and safe. Many Albany water customers may not know what we do to control lead, or why. Visit www.cityofalbany.net/lead for more information.
Water System Emergencies
The health of our water customers is our Number 1 priority. When an emergency occurs in the water system that could negatively impact health, our top priority is to notify our customers as quickly as possible so you can take action to protect your health.
Albany water customers have several options for receiving notice of water and other emergencies in the area. The City of Albany uses Nixle, FlashAlert, Facebook, Twitter and the Linn-Benton Alert emergency notification system. Users can choose text, email or telephone alerts to receive notifications, providing a way for a parent to receive information that may affect their child’s school, or a family member to receive notifications about events near their elderly parent’s home. To stay informed, be sure to sign up for the emergency alert systems here: https://www.cityofalbany.net/alert, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check our website. In small localized emergency events, make sure to check your front door for any emergency information! If you are concerned an emergency is happening and have not received notice, please call us anytime at 541-917-7600.
Some emergency events require the City to issue a health advisory, such as a boil-water or do-not-drink warning.
Boil-Water Advisories
A boil-water advisory or boil-water order is a public health advisory or directive issued by a public drinking water system or by health authorities to consumers when a community’s drinking water is, or could be, contaminated by disease-causing organisms. It is a preventive measure that is intended to protect the health of water consumers when there is an actual or significant possibility that contamination may be present within the drinking water system. Click here for the Oregon Health Authority’s Commonly Asked Questions following a Boil Water Notice.
In the 30 years that the City of Albany has owned its water system, it has issued boil-water advisories in response to two incidents, one in October 2015 and another in October 2016. The first occurred due to repair work on a water service line and the second happened when a water main was damaged during a construction project. In each incident, some homes had a complete loss of water pressure. Loss of water pressure may result in contaminated water flowing back into or infiltrating a City water main, posing a potential risk to the health of our customers.
Albany residents affected by boil-water advisories are informed by City staff via one or more of the following ways:
- Door hangers left on each property within the affected area;
- News releases;
- City website updates with media release and map of affected area;
- Updates to the City of Albany social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Nixle); FlashAlert and the Linn-Benton Alert Emergency Notification System
Water line repairs are made and water pressure is restored as quickly as possible. Advisories may last for a day or longer because of the time required to analyze water samples for the presence of bacteria. When the results show that the water is free of bacteria, City staff follows the same communication steps to notify the public that the water is safe to use.
The health of the community is our top priority and Albany will continue to follow Best Management Practices to reduce the risk of contamination entering the water system.
- Details
Reducing exposure to lead in Albany
Lead-contaminated drinking water in Flint, Michigan, Portland, and Tacoma has drawn national attention to the issue of controlling lead exposure in public drinking water systems. The City of Albany has worked to control lead in its water system for many years; it is one of our standard operating procedures for keeping drinking water clean and safe.
How does lead get into drinking water?
Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. If present, elevated levels of lead in drinking water can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. In 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water. The Lead and Copper Rule requires the City to collect water samples at customer taps to be analyzed for lead and copper, which can be present in drinking water if materials in a water system’s distribution pipes or a building’s plumbing contain either metal. Certain characteristics of drinking water (primarily the pH) can cause fixtures with lead-based solder and brass faucets to corrode. When water is in contact with these fixtures over time, lead or copper can be released into the water. The amount of lead and/or copper can increase when water is in contact with such fixtures for extended periods. If lead or copper concentrations exceed the action level in more than 10% of customer samples, the City must take additional steps to control corrosion. The action level for lead is 15 parts per billion (ppb) and copper is 1.3 parts per million (ppm).
What are the health effects of lead in drinking water?
For information on lead in drinking water and how it can affect your health, click here for the Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services fact sheet on lead.
What is Albany doing to reduce lead in drinking water?
To reduce lead in Albany’s drinking water, City staff has taken a three-tiered approach:
1. Removal of lead components
Distribution System
After the Lead and Copper Rule was published, Albany implemented a systematic approach to remove all known lead connections from the public water distribution system. While Albany does not have lead service lines like Flint, Michigan and other parts of the country do, Albany does have some lead pigtails (sometimes known as goosenecks) that were used in the early 1900s to connect the main water line to the customer’s service line. These short lead pipes were used because they could be easily bent and allowed for a flexible connection between the rigid pipes. Unfortunately, records on where these lead pigtails were initially installed and later removed are not available.
The situation in Flint raised questions among City staff as to whether all lead pigtails had been removed in that initial effort in the early 1990s. To find out, we searched the records that are available to identify galvanized pipes, to which, our experience tells us, lead pigtails were often connected. To add to the challenge, the pigtails are most often located under the street and cannot be seen at the meter. As a result, the galvanized service lines in question were put on a list for the water distribution crew to “pothole” or dig down to the main where the service line connects to check. When a lead pigtail is found, it is removed immediately. We are pleased to report the project was completed in 2017 with a total of 109 services investigated resulting in 70 lead pigtails found and removed.
Schools
Albany Public Works staff conducted a review of the materials used in connecting local schools to the public water system in September 2016. We are pleased to report we found no lead pigtails used on the school service lines. However, a number of older water meters that may contain some lead were still in use. All of these meters were replaced in 2016 and 2017. The Greater Albany Public School District (GAPS) tested the schools drinking water faucets for lead. Results of the school testing is on the GAPS website here.
Public Buildings
City administrators developed a plan to test City-owned public buildings that have the greatest frequency of use by the public or which were constructed at a time when lead solder and fixtures were used. Testing was completed at the following buildings between July 27 and August 31, 2016:
Building | Range of Lead Results (EPA Action Level = 15ppb; ND = Non-Detect) | Retest Result | Range of Copper Results (EPA Action Level = 1.3 ppm) | Retest Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carnegie Library | ND – 4 ppb | - | 0.051 – 0.254 ppm | - |
City Hall | ND – 28 ppb | ND | 0.041 - 0.065 ppm | 0.036 ppm |
Fire Station #12 | ND | - | 0.035 ppm | - |
Main Library | ND – 12 ppb | - | 0.028 – 0.086 ppm | - |
Maple Lawn Preschool | ND | - | 0.012 – 0.038 ppm | - |
Public Works Operations | ND – 4 ppb | - | 0.020 - 1.008 ppm | - |
Riverfront Community Center (formerly senior center) | ND – 21 ppb | ND – 13 ppb | 0.009 – 0.144 ppm | 0.040 – 0.078 ppm |
Fixtures above the lead action level of 15 ppb were replaced with lead-free fixtures and then retested. Retest results are shown in bold above.
2. Application of Corrosion Control Treatment
Operators in Albany’s two water treatment plants use chemicals to adjust the pH and alkalinity of water entering the distribution system to make it less likely to corrode plumbing components in the homes we serve. The Oregon Health Authority requires us to maintain a minimum pH of 7.8 in the drinking water to optimize corrosion control treatment. We monitor pH on a continuous basis at the treatment plants and within the distribution system to assure the treatment system is working properly.
3. Service Line Inventory and Ongoing Lead and Copper Testing
Under guidance from Oregon Health Authority and Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Albany has inspected all service lines that were installed prior to 1986 to determine the material. Using city and county records, City staff inspected 9,260 drinking water service lines installed prior to 1986 and found no lead lines in our system. Service lines installed after 1986 are considered to be non-lead due to changes in the Oregon Uniform Plumbing Code. Service line material can be viewed on InfoHub by clicking on the service line in question. It will look like this:
When the Lead and Copper Rule went into effect, Public Works staff identified homes that were built between 1983 and 1985, considered by the EPA to be at higher risk of lead and copper corrosion because of plumbing materials that were used at that time. Staff began sampling 60 homes every six months in 1992, as the rule requires. Based on our past sampling history, the Oregon Health Authority allowed Albany to reduce sampling to 30 homes once every three years. The City of Albany fully complies with all state and federal regulations for lead and copper testing. You can review the City’s test results, along with any other public water system in the state, by visiting the Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Service Water Online website at https://yourwater.oregon.gov/. You can also view our annual Water Quality Reports here.
While the Lead and Copper Rule applies to utilities, the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act sets standards for the amount of lead allowed in pipe, plumbing fittings, fixtures, solder, and flux. In January 2014, the act was amended to reduce the allowable lead content in these components from 8% to 0.25% or less. All system components purchased and installed in the City of Albany water system since this amendment are in compliance.
How do I find out if my home has lead plumbing?
If your home was built before 1986, it may have copper pipes with lead solder. In addition, any faucet purchased before 1997 may be constructed of brass containing up to 8% lead. The only way to know if your water contains lead is to test it. You can find a laboratory approved to perform testing for lead in drinking water here. Be sure to follow the sampling guidelines provided by the laboratory.
How can I reduce my exposure to lead in my drinking water?
Run your water to flush out lead
If water has not been used for several hours, such as in the morning or after returning from work or school, run taps for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, or until it becomes colder, before cooking or drinking. This will flush water that has been sitting in pipes. (Conservation tip: If you run sprinklers, wash a load of laundry or shower first, you will not need to run the tap as long. Or, consider catching the flushed tap water for plants or some other household use such as cleaning.)
Periodically remove and clean the faucet screen / aerator
Particles containing lead from solder or household plumbing can become trapped in your faucet aerator. Occasional cleaning will remove these particles and reduce your exposure to lead.
Always use cold water for cooking and drinking
Lead dissolves more easily into hot water, so don’t use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula or for cooking or drinking.
Consider buying low-lead faucets
As of January 2014, all pipes, fittings and fixtures are required to contain less than 0.25% lead, which is termed “lead-free.” In addition to seeking out products with the lowest lead content, fixtures with the WaterSense label will maximize water savings.
Consider investing in a filter
Before you buy, confirm that the filter reduces lead – not all filters do. Remember that bacteria and other contaminants can collect in filters if not properly maintained, making water quality worse, not better. For water filter performance standards, contact NSF International at 1-800-673-8010.
Do not boil water to remove lead
Boiling water will not reduce lead.
Additional Information:
If you have questions about the City of Albany’s water or believe the plumbing in your home dates from 1983-1985 and would like to be in our sampling plan, please contact Public Works Operations at 541-917-7600.
- Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Program: 971-673-0405
- Oregon Health Authority Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: 971-673-0440
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1-800-426-4791
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "About Lead in Drinking Water"
- National Lead Information Center: 1-800-424-LEAD
- Details
Keep Fats, Oils, and Grease Out of Albany's Water System
Grease from cooking, gravy, cooking oil, and sauces may look harmless as a liquid, but when it cools it gets thick and sticky. That means if you pour grease down your drain, it sticks to pipes and eventually causes clogs and messy sewer overflows.
How to dispose of grease
Step 1:
Scrape or pour grease into can
Step 2:
Freeze the can
Step 3:
Toss into trash
DO
- Scrape food scraps into the trash or compost bin.
- Catch food scraps and other solids with a strainer in the sink drain, and empty the strainer into the trash bin.
- Wipe pots, pans and dishes with dry paper towels before rinsing or washing them, then throw paper towels in the garbage.
- Pour hot grease into an empty can, cover with a “Freeze the Grease” lid and once cooled, throw in the trash.
DON’T
- Don't pour grease down sink drains.
- Don't use cloth towels or rags to scrape oil or grease off plates and utensils because grease will drain to the sewer when you wash the towels.
- Don't run water over dishes, pans, fryers or griddles to wash oil and grease down the drain.
Restaurants and Food Preparation Facilities:
For additional information, visit our Industrial Pretreatment page.
- Details