Hi, Johnnie: As I walk around the neighborhood, I notice the fire hydrants to be nicely maintained and painted. Most are red with a white top, some are red and white with a blue top, and one is all yellow. What is the significance of the various colors? Thanks! — Hydrant Curious
Dear Hydrant Curious: Years ago, I answered a question about hydrant colors but didn’t know about the yellow hydrants at the time. So, I reached out to the city to see if someone there could explain these different color schemes.
I learned that you live in a remarkable neighborhood.
Here are the basics.
• The hydrants that are red with white tops are standard fire hydrants and are used for firefighting.
• The blue-topped hydrants are for water for construction/bulk permits.
• The yellow hydrants are low-pressure and typically “are used for flushing and disinfection activities,” city spokeswoman Rachel Moyer said in an email.
And here are a few details.
The blue-topped hydrants “are on larger water lines and stir up less sediment when in use,” Moyer said. If used without supervision of city staff, these hydrants require a meter and backflow device, since they are connected to the city’s potable water system. The company using the hydrant also must put down a deposit and pay a daily rental charge.
“Yellow hydrants … are typically not used for firefighting or filling of mobile equipment,” she said. “Yellow hydrants are typically around our finished water reservoirs” — tanks filled with potable water such as the Skyline tank and Price Park tank.
There are only three of these hydrants in the city’s system.
“Yellow hydrants are useful for maintenance activities when the city wants to drain water from the distribution system slowly,” Moyer said. “Low-pressure hydrants don’t blow water as far and drain the system more slowly, which is advantageous for turning over water in the potable water distribution system in the winter months when usage is low.”
When the city does flush the system, Moyer said, “it uses a diffuser and dechlorination material when flushing to remove chlorine. Chlorine dissipates fairly quickly when exposed to atmosphere, so dechlorination might not be necessary if the water is in small amounts or has an extremely long pathway to a body of water.”
Moyer wondered about the location of the hydrants you spotted, as the city has “experienced vandalization of hydrants in some areas of town where hydrants are painted colors that are not our standard. There have also been residents and businesses that have painted their hydrants where they shouldn’t have.”
Clearly, Curious, that can create confusion for city maintenance and firefighting crews. Feel free to contact the city.
Send questions to johnnie@times-call.com.
