In Grand Prairie, the water is safe to drink after three days. Residents were told to run their faucets before drinking and Grand Prairie schools chose not to open because flushing all their lines was a huge task. NBC 5’s Vince Sims got an inside look at just how much work had to be done.
In Grand Prairie, the water is safe to drink after three days. Residents were advised to run their faucets before drinking.
Grand Prairie schools decided not to open because flushing all their lines would be a significant undertaking.
The water flowed out of and down the drain of Hector Garcia Elementary School.
“We just thought it was in the best interest of staff and students to go ahead and do the work we need to do to make sure our students and schools are ready to go for Monday,” Grand Prairie ISD Public Information Officer Sam Buchmeyer said.
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The flushing is a lengthy process, it took six crews three hours to do one high school.
Grand Prairie ISD has 36 campuses plus other buildings to flush.
“That includes anything from water heaters to toilets to sinks,” Buchmeyer said. “We have to make sure the kitchen areas are okay. We have to empty and drain all the ice machines. It takes some time to do that, and we have to replace all the filters.”
Nearly 60,000 people were affected by a firefighting foam agent getting into the water system.
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Not all schools were in the affected zone. Still, Grand Prairie ISD chose to close all as a precaution during the advisory to not use the water.
They flushed lines at all schools and auxiliary buildings and assured parents, students, and staff all will be safe and ready for Monday. “Regular schedule and good to go,” Buchmeyer said.
