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Fire Hydrant Inspection Program

Hydrant 
The Anderson Fire Department has begun semi-annual testing of Anderson's fire hydrant system. This program will consist of the inspecting and flowing water from all fire hydrants within the City limits.

National fire standards and ISO (Insurance Service Office) recommend that fire hydrants be inspected twice each year. This is done to insure proper operation of our fire hydrants along with insuring an adequate water supply to fight fires. We are specifically looking for;

  • Inadequate water flow
  • Damage to hydrants
  • Hydrants that blocked or obstructed
  • Inability to open hydrants
  • Any other problem that would prevent a hydrant from being used in an emergency

Thankfully, most of our fire hydrants do not get used regularly. This could lead to having inoperative hydrants or hydrants with inadequate flow rates to effectively put fires out. Therefore, the fire department's goal is to identify problems and have them corrected by the Water Department, ultimately saving valuable time in extinguishing a fire enabling us to more efficiently fulfill our primary mission of saving lives and property.

HydrantWhy should you be notified of this program?

When water is flowing from a fire hydrant, iron deposits in the water lines get stirred up. This can cause a brown discoloration to the water in the area of the hydrants being tested. This condition is only temporary and will correct itself in a few hours. There is no health hazard associated with this process. We recommend that you flow your cold water to determine if there is any discoloration, before using it.

While the water is still safe to drink and cook with, we recommend NOT washing any white clothes on the days we are testing hydrants in your neighborhood, but if you do be sure and check your water first before doing so.

What you should do?
If your water is discolored, it will clear up on it's own under normal usage over a period of time. Run your cold water to check to see if it's cleared up. (It is also best to limit the use of your hot water until it's clear, as this will keep the iron deposits from going into your hot water heater.)

The benefits of this program for the City of Anderson:

  • Improve the ability of your fire department to save lives and property.
  • Knowing that your fire hydrant has been tested and is in good operational condition if the fire department would ever need it.
  • Annual flow tests will reduce the iron deposits in our water lines.
  • Improve the overall quality of our water system.
  • Fulfill requirements of the insurance rating system and National Standards.

All residents should check the clarity of their water on the days we are flow testing in your area prior to washing laundry.

The current location of testing can be found here.

If you have any questions please contact the Fire Department at 648-6600.