Hydrant Flushing

 Why do we flush fire hydrants every spring?
  * Flushing maintains the life of the mains.
  * Flushing eliminates poor taste and odors.
  * Flushing removes accumulated sediment.
  * Flushing removes discolored water.
  * Flushing increases chlorine residuals to the extremities of the system.
  * Flushing removes impurities associated with new and repaired mains.
  * Flushing checks the operation of the hydrant and verify actual fire flows. 

Why are the fire hydrants painted different colors?  

  Hydrant bases are painted yellow.  Colored caps are placed on top of each yellow

  hydrant to indicate available flow rates, as follows:
      Red Caps = less than 500 gallons per minute
      Orange Caps = 500 - 1,000 gallons per minute 
      Green Caps = 1,000 - 1,500 gallons per minute 
      Blue Caps = 1,500+ gallons per minute 
      Solid red fire hydrants are PRIVATE hydrants 

      - property owners are responsible for operation and maintenance.