MISQUAH — The water department completed its annual hydrant flushing across town last week, restoring clear water to the east side by Thursday and generating, by the department’s own tally, three telephone calls to City Clerk Donna Skoglund — exactly the number the department had predicted, and, it noted, “down one from last year.”

Flushing, which clears sediment from the mains, briefly turned tap water on the east side a rusty brown. The water department had advised residents in advance to run a cold tap and avoid doing laundry, advice that, Skoglund reported, “was followed by everyone who reads the paper and surprised everyone who does not.”

Of the three calls, one concerned the water, one concerned a neighbor’s sprinkler, and one, Skoglund said, “turned into a nice long visit about the Sorensen boy, and I didn’t mind.” The water was declared clear and safe townwide by Friday.