The COVID-19 pandemic has left many businesses, schools, homes and other buildings unused for weeks. That means the water in your building’s pipes or water system can become stagnant.

drinking waterIt’s important to refresh your building’s water system to ensure the highest quality of water. We recommend that customers flush out all the water that has been sitting stagnant in the building. While Moulton Niguel continues to provide safe and reliable water for our businesses and community, prolonged building closures can impact water quality within plumbing.

To restore your building’s plumbing with fresh water, Moulton Niguel recommends that you take the following steps:

  1. Identify all water faucets, toilets, shower and bathtub fixtures, refrigerator/freezers with an ice maker or water dispenser, drinking fountains, and any other source of potable water.
  2. Turn on all the water faucets with drains for approximately 10 minutes. (Make sure to check that each drain is working properly). Note: Water/Ice being flushed out of the building can be used to water plants and landscapes.
  3. While the faucets are running with fresh water, flush each toilet to refresh the tank water and empty the old water from the toilet bowl.
  4. Dump any old ice in the refrigerator/freezer and continue to remove the new ice for 3-5 cycles. Run approximately 1 gallon of the water from the refrigerator dispenser to bring fresh water into the reservoir and water line to the refrigerator.
  5. If the hot water has a sulfur smell or other odor, consider draining your water heater before use. (Follow manufacturers’ directions carefully for safety and protection from water damage.)
  6. Don’t forget to check that all water faucets have been turned off after flushing.

With these simple steps, you can restore fresh water to your building.

While we are under the State of Emergency, Moulton Niguel Water District’s Board of Directors is temporarily granting credits for additional charges applied in Tiers 4 and 5. To learn more about bill adjustments, please visit mnwd.com/adjustments.

To learn more about stagnant water and how to ensure your building’s water is safe, read Guidance for Building Water Systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As always, if you have any questions, please give us a call at 949-831-2500 or email us at customerservice@mnwd.com.