Water Outages

Current Water Outages

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There are two types of water outages, scheduled and emergency.  Scheduled outages include outages required for maintenance, repair, or alteration of the system.  Emergency outages include outages caused by water main breaks or system damage.  In the case of a scheduled outage every attempt will be made to notify all customers expected to be effected by the outage.  Typically crews will go door-to-door the day prior to the scheduled outage.  If there is no answer a door hanger will be left.  In the case of an emergency outage it may be impossible to notify customers of the outage in advance because of damage the broken water main is causing or due to the availability of staff.

When the Water Comes Back On

There will likely be air in your water service piping when the water is turned back on.  It is a good idea to run the first water after an outage through a faucet that does not have an aerator screen.  Bathtubs and hose bibs are good candidates.  Open faucets slowly to allow the air to escape.  Air will make a spurting or hissing sound as it escapes through the faucet.  Once the water is flowing allow the faucet to run for a minute or two.  The first water may be cloudy due to air in the water or particles that dislodge as the pipes filled with water.  This should clear fairly quickly.  If water is cloudy throughout the house and it does not clear after allowing the water to run for several minutes contact Des Moines Water Works dispatch center at (515) 283-8772 for assistance. 

If kitchen or bathroom faucets do not perform normally following a water outage it may be necessary to remove the aerator screen.  Typically the aerator can simply be unscrewed from the faucet.  Inspect the screen for small particles and rinse away any you find.  Reinstall the aerator and test performance of the faucet again.  If you experience difficulties such as low pressure throughout the house following a water outage call Des Moines Water Works dispatch center at (515) 283-8772 for assistance.