SUEZ is doing specialized flushing to rid brown water on the Boise Bench

BOISE — If you live on the Boise Bench, SUEZ Water is using a specialized, unidirectional flushing over the next few weeks, to get rid of the brown water there.

"It's like taking a power hose basically to the mains, and it's gonna clear out and scour all of the buildup," said Jane Kreller, Communications Manager for SUEZ. So if you're one of the 15,000 bench residents, the days of your discolored water should soon be over.

SUEZ said the brown water is safe, but it is unappetizing, which is why they they are conducting this unidirectional flushing, as a short term, band aid fix for Bench residents.

"So the plan is to do it in the spring this year, and then again in the fall, because we know it works," said Kreller, as suez works toward a permanent solution, to get rid of the brown water for good. "The bench is a historic neighborhood, it needs a little bit of extra love and care," said Kreller, so this year SUEZ began replacing some of the old iron pipelines causing the brown water problems, including nearly 1,600 feet of pipeline from 1939 near Kootenai was replaced.

And over the course of the next few years, they'll continue to replace all of the iron water pipes on the Bench with plastic pipes, solving the problem long term.

"We can't tear up the entire city over the course of a year. It's disruptive and it's just not feasible. It's just going to take time," said Kreller.

So for now, if you see a giant water fountain at the fire hydrant near your home, SUEZ has things under control.

"It actually uses about half the water of traditional flushing," said Kreller.

Your water may be brown immediately after flushing, and if that's the case, Kreller advised people: "Open up the bathtub, let it run for a few minutes, and then wait til the water clears."

Then if your water is still brown after SUEZ flushes the pipes, give them a call at

(208) 362-7304, and they'll get you a flushing credit worth $1.50, which they assure provides plenty of water to flush your lines.