Residents press for hydrant‑flushing program after brown‑water incidents; Water & Sewer Commission to review rate plan Jan. 7

At the Jan. 5 meeting, resident Lonnie (Lonny) Farrell reported a recent episode of brown, muddy water coming from taps in his neighborhood and urged the town to institute a routine hydrant‑flushing program to remove sediment and biofilm from pipes.

Farrell described taking a video after a shower that showed 'how much dirt was in the tub' and said neighbors (including a parent with an infant) posted complaints online. He cited examples of neighboring jurisdictions that flush hydrants on an annual or biannual schedule and said the town should adopt a regular program rather than ad‑hoc flushing after complaints.

Matt Hurd of the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company confirmed drawing water from hydrants "sometimes... stirs up a lot of stuff" and that the disturbance usually dissipates; councilmembers asked Hurd to check whether hydrants had been used during the most recent brown‑water incident. The mayor and staff said the town had inspected nearly 2,000 storm‑water pipes and is working on remediation plans for damaged or missing grates, but did not present a hydrant‑flushing schedule at the meeting.

Separately, Councilmember DeMilder reported the Water & Sewer Commission met on Dec. 3 and will present a draft water and sewer rate‑adjustment ordinance to the commission on Jan. 7; the commission recommended a commitment to a multi‑year capital and operating plan, a reserve target equal to one year's operating and capital expenditures (with a 50% floor), and a public outreach plan. DeMilder also said the commission will review a draft memo on PFAS and actions being taken to address them.

The council did not adopt any immediate policy on hydrant flushing on Jan. 5; staff and the Water & Sewer Commission are next scheduled to discuss the draft rate ordinance and PFAS memo at the Jan. 7 commission meeting.