BLOOMFIELD, NJ – The Bloomfield Fire Department, in partnership with the Bloomfield Engineering Department will begin routine, mandatory hydrant flushing next Monday, May 9. To minimize disruption to residents that may be impacted, notifications will be made ahead of time via the township cable channel (Channel 35), the township website, as well as the Township Facebook page about which hydrants will be flushed.
“Hydrant flushing is a routine maintenance process that our Fire Department and Engineering Department jointly perform in a quick and efficient manner,” said Mayor Michael Venezia. “In the past we have received complaints of clogged filters as a result of this process, so property owners who have installed internal house filters at the service pipe near their meter should remove the filters when they receive notice of flushing in their area. Please monitor the town cable channel, as well as our website and Facebook to stay up to date about when this will be taking place in your neighborhood.”
Excess sediment can be caught in household filters thereby limiting the life of the filter. The filters can be reinstalled after the flushing is complete.
“Part of our department's efforts to protect the people of Bloomfield includes performing regular maintenance and inspections,” said Fire Chief Lou Venezia. “Not only is hydrant flushing required but it is a critical task that ensures when we need these hydrants during an emergency we know that they will function properly without incident.”
Regular hydrant flushing is required by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the National Fire Protection Association to flush out sediment and to ensure that the hydrants are functioning properly.
There are roughly 1200 fire hydrants in the township that will be serviced and that process will take approximately four months to complete.
