H2O problem: Restrictions affect system's chemistry

PLANO -- With North Texas suffering from a drought that has stretched into its second year, Plano residents are being asked to conserve water in any way possible.

So why is the city of Plano opening up fire hydrants to drain water, when the water district and city employees have said that every drop is precious? It all comes down to water chemistry.

"We are required to maintain a chlorine residual in the water system to act as a disinfectant," said Gerald Cosgrove, the city's public works director. "As the water ages, the amount of chlorine begins to decrease and we have to flush the water from the system to draw in new water and increase the amount of chlorine."

By getting rid of the water that lacks the requisite amount of chlorine, new water will be drawn in and the correct chlorine levels will be restored. Cosgrove said the chlorine levels differ in various parts of the city, but his workers have identified which areas usually have problems. His department is also working on a computer model to better predict when the water will need to be flushed.

Cosgrove said the state requires at least 0.5 mg/L of water, with a maximum amount of 4 mg/L. He said in the summer months the chlorine reduces at a faster rate, but the loss of chlorine can also occur in the winter, especially when water usage is slowed to a trickle such as during water restrictions, preventing new water from being introduced often enough to keep the levels in check.

Currently, the public works department doesn't have a system in place to flush the water other than using the hydrants. However, that may change by summer.

"We are trying to gauge the feasibility of being able to tell certain parts of town that they need to water during a certain day to help flush the system," he said. "It would not be a city-wide thing, but would be targeted toward certain parts of town. This way the people will get some benefit out of it and we will be able to achieve what we are trying to as far as water quality is concerned."

Until then, Cosgrove said his department will likely continue to receive calls every time they open up a hydrant, with the callers asking to know why they are dumping water during a drought.

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