If your water appears dirty or muddy, it may be due to construction or maintenance within Helix's distribution system. Sand or sediment in the water lines is most commonly caused by routine flushing of the distribution system through the fire hydrants. This is a routine preventive maintenance activity conducted regularly by Helix Water District.

Flushing the water system on a routine basis removes sediment from lines and keeps the entire distribution system refreshed. As a result of the flushing procedure, residents in the immediate vicinity of the work may experience temporary discoloration of their water. This discoloration consists primarily of harmless silt and precipitates and does not affect the safety of the water.

Crews post signs in the areas in which they are working to help make customers aware of the preventive maintenance activity. If you experience discoloration in your water after crews have been flushing in your neighborhood, clear the pipes in your own home by running all water faucets for a minute or two. If a few minutes of internal flushing does not seem to improve the water color and both the hot and cold water are affected, please call us. If just the hot water is affected, see the hot water heater flushing instructions below on performing periodic flushing maintenance on your hot water heater.

If just your hot water is affected, see hot water heater.