Operations and Maintenance Department - Utility Division
Thank you for your interest in the City of Mason City Operations and Maintenance Department. The Utility division is responsible for a variety of repairs made to City Operations primarily underground work dealing with Water Mains, Water Main Brakes, Water Valve repair & replacements, Fire Hydrant repairs & replacements. The Utility division also works closely with the Street Division with community services such as street repair, snow removal and ice control, storm sewer maintenance and sanitary sewer maintenance.
Water Outage
There are two types of water outages: scheduled and emergency. Scheduled outages include work performed for maintenance, repair, or alteration of the system. Emergency outages include water main breaks or system damage.
In the case of a scheduled outage every attempt will be made to notify affected customers 24 hours in advance of water service interruption. Crew members will go door-to-door to notify potential affected customers. If there is no answer a door hanger will be left at the front door.
Main Breaks
If a main break occurs in your neighborhood, crews work quickly to make the repair and restore water service. Due to the urgency of such situations and potential danger, crews make the repair process their top priority. This means water service may be interrupted without prior notification.
When Water Comes Back On
Crews will have flushed the main to remove air and rusty water. But there will likely still be air in your water service line. It is a good idea to run water from a faucet that does not have an aerator or screen on it. Bathtubs or outside hose bibs are good for this. Open faucets slowly to allow air to escape. Air will make a spurting or hissing sound: allow water to run for a few minutes or until clear. The water may be cloudy or have some discoloration at first due to air and particles that were dislodged as pipes are filled. This should clear up.
If kitchen or bathroom faucets do not work normally after a water outage it may be necessary to remove the aerator screen. Typically the aerator can simply be unscrewed from the faucet. Inspect and clean the screen then reinstall.
Our Mission Statement
The Operations & Maintenance Department is committed to providing quality service to the community we serve by developing and implementing work practices that best serve the public with the least amount of inconvenience to the public.