Bethlehem Is Flushing Its Water System, Says Running Cold Water for a Few Minutes Should Clear Up Discoloring

May 8, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The Bethlehem water department is starting out its annual hydrant flushing this week to remove dirt from the system. Many people will never notice, but a few might see dirty water.

The city says that can be resolved in a few minutes.

Bethlehem’s water department is, in my humble opinion, one of the city’s crown jewels. The city is a big landowner in the Poconos, where its reservoirs can hold 10 billion gallons.

Here is the flushing schedule.

Meanwhile, if you see a pond at an intersection, it’s probably not flooding, it’s from flushing.

Here is the city’s explanation of the process:

Hydrant flushing is done to clear out dirt and other impurities in the distribution system and to improve the overall quality of our drinking water. During flushing operations customers may experience low water pressure and/or discolored water for a short period of time. If you experience discolored water it is recommended that you avoid using water for purposes such as cooking or washing clothes. Clearing your piping can be accomplished by running cold water faucets only for a few minutes at a time until the water clears.  If your water does not clear up within 24 hours, please contact the Bethlehem Service Center at 610-865-7000 to ask the Water Department to investigate.

Here’s some information on the city’s water and sewer department:

The City of Bethlehem provides drinking water to residents and businesses in the City and all or portions of ten surrounding Municipalities and includes 36,000 metered accounts. The city’s reservoirs in the Pocono Mountains have a total storage capacity of 10 billion gallons of water. Average consumption equals 15 million gallons per day. The water distribution system consists of 1 filtration plant, 500 miles of water main, 5 pump stations, and 7 storage tanks.
 
The City provides waste water collection and treatment services for all inside-city customers and includes 25,000 accounts. The city also provides bulk collection and treatment services for all or parts of eleven surrounding Municipalities. Average wastewater treatment plant flow equals 10 million gallons per day. The collection and treatment system consists of 250 miles of sewer main, 6 lift stations, and 1 wastewater treatment plant.