Residents on New Gambier Road report sediment; city installs auto-flusher and plans midterm engineering review

Mount Vernon staff told the Utilities Commission that several homes on New Gambier Road have experienced sediment in water coming from faucets and bathtubs, a condition staff attribute to low flow in a 6-inch line that allows sediment to settle. The commission heard that staff installed an automatic flusher and will pursue a midterm engineering solution as part of broader infrastructure planning. Gary Nunn, meeting chair, summarized the issue and said it affects a small number of residences: "There's not enough capacity that's regularly going through this line to continually flush the line. And because of that, you've got sediment that lays in that line and then it ends up going through their individual household," he said. Staff identified the main distribution line as a 6-inch segment and said a long-term fix could require upsizing or connecting to a larger service as part of transportation and development planning. The engineering timeline given to the commission described a midterm planning horizon of about three to five years for inclusion in broader infrastructure projects. In the short term, distribution crews led by Josh and others have installed an auto flusher and are experimenting with flush timing and durations to reduce sediment delivery to customers. Staff advised affected residents to contact the utility or engineering department for updates and said the city will continue interim measures while developing the longer-term plan.