Upon announcement of the City of Austin Water Department lifting the city wide boil water notice, the following flushing procedure must be completed:
The boil water notice was issued to ensure the disinfection of all bacteria, microbes, and other pathogens potentially in the public water supply. Once the boil water notice is lifted, the flushing of water lines is necessary to eliminate any potentially unsafe or contaminated water from service.
Consequently, Austin Public Health is requiring that all Food Enterprises flush all water lines, including lines directly connected to ice machines, coffee machines, and any other food preparation equipment. Flush lines by following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance below.
After a Boil Water Advisory - CDC
When a food service establishment is notified that the boil water advisory has been lifted and the drinking water supply is safe, the following actions need to be taken:
- Flush pipes throughout the facility by running each hot and cold water faucet for two minutes.
- Flush, clean, and sanitize appliances that use tap water (such as beverage dispensers, spray misters, coffee and tea urns, ice machines, glass washers, dishwashers) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
- Run drinking fountains continuously for two minutes to flush the system.
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Take proper steps to flush ice machines by following the manufacturer’s instructions, including at a minimum:
- Throw out any ice remaining in all bins.
- Make one additional batch of ice in each machine, and discard this batch of ice.
Environmental Health Services is here to provide education, guidance, and to assist you in complying with the Texas Food Establishment Rules. We appreciate all your efforts, even when they might have been burdensome, to protect the public’s health.