As the City of Great Bend begins the reopening process during the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses start to serve customers, the Public Works Utilities Division is urging business owners to take precautions to keep water quality standards. Buildings that have been closed for more than a week need to have the service lines and internal plumbing completely flushed, even if there has been low occupancy.

Water that is not being used on a regular basis can have a quality change if the water has been stagnant, especially after an extended amount of time, a news release from the city notes. Flushing the cold and hot lines decreases the risk of bacterial growth, and brings clean and freshly disinfected water into the water lines of the building.

The Utility Division asks residents to:

• Before reopening, run every faucet and tap in the business. Cold water first, then Hot.

• Flush and maintain other water using appliance or system with a water connection, for example ice machines, filters for refrigerators, and drinking fountains.

• Flush the toilets

The city recommends flushing a building’s system to receive fresh water into the building and avoiding the use of stagnate water.

For further information, visit the EPA’s website “Information on Maintaining or Restoring Water Quality in Buildings with Low or No Use.”

The city tests the quality of water regularly throughout our service area. All testing that is done ensures that the city meets the state and federal guidelines. 

For questions or concerns, contact the Utilities Division at 620-793-4170.