By Adam Swift
The city’s inventory of 875 fire hydrants are in good shape and undergo annual inspections and flushing, Acting Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Department Chris Ciaramella told the city council last week.
Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo said the council submitted the request for the hydrant update in the wake of a recent Oak Island brush fire where it appeared there was an issue with a hydrant. Rizzo added that the request was not a reflection on the efforts of the water department, which he said works tremendously hard.
Ciaramella said that over 400 of the city’s hydrants have been inspected this year, and that the inspections of the remaining hydrants are underway. Currently, there are six hydrants that are out of service, he said.
“This year, we have replaced 29 hydrants and we have 21 going out to bid for this fiscal year, that will be 50 (new) hydrants,†said Ciaremella.
Council President Protem Joanne McKenna asked why there have been issues with some of the hydrants failing.
“To bring up the Oak Island issue and the hydrants all in that area, the one that appeared to be broken, there were no issues with the hydrant itself,†said Ciaramella. “We tried to open multiple hydrants on one six-inch line, and you are not going to get the water pressure out of those hydrants.â€
Ciaramella said the city is working to address the undersized water lines in that area as well as in other areas in the city. In addition to the small size of the lines themselves, he said the old pipes often become blocked, limiting the water flow further.
“The issue is the big water main projects and the funding for them,†said Ciaramella. “The hydrants, I think we have the hydrants well under control.â€
Ward 5 Councilor John Powers said he agreed that the issues are with the water lines, with maintenance being overlooked for years before the city began to make progress with addressing the issue.
