1. Attention – The District’s Board of Commissioners adopted new Utility Billing Fines and Fees, effective January 1.
Home > Fire Hydrants
Part of your water bill helps pay for the coordination, ownership and maintenance of over 6,000 fire hydrants across the Alderwood Water & Wastewater District. Each Fire Hydrant costs around $1,500. Fire hydrants allow firefighters to have the water they need to keep you safe from harm. Our staff work with developers and South Snohomish Fire and Rescue to ensure that fire hydrants meet current regulations and have appropriate pressure to fight fires.
Alderwood Water & Wastewater District maintains and operates 670 miles of water mains running through 44 square miles of retail service territory. Along those mains are located 5,975 public fire hydrants, in addition to private hydrants. These are installed either by the District or by land developers. The public hydrants are maintained by the District, and available for use by local fire agencies. Building codes generally require fire hydrants in a residential area to be located every 600 feet. Fire engines will typically carry between 500 to 1,000 feet of supply hose–the large diameter hose used to access water from a fire hydrant. Engines carry multiple sizes of hose for different applications. Hose used for attacking an active fire is usually 1.75 inches in diameter and can flow about 200 gallons per minute, while diameters as large as 2.5 inches are also frequently employed, pouring 300 to 400 gallons per minute on the blaze. Hydrant requirements vary based on the size and layout of local buildings, and the type of occupancy within the buildings. Fire engines typically carry about 500 gallons of water in their tanks. For most structural fires, this is not nearly enough for fire suppression needs. Typically the large majority of the water used in a fire fight comes from nearby hydrants. Firefighters have other weapons at their disposal: foam or dry chemicals may be used for small fires or electrical or chemical blazes. However, water is used for the vast majority of firefighting needs, and that is why you see those fire hydrants seemingly all over the place. Together with your local firefighters they help keep our communities safe. Fire Hydrants and Fire Suppression Firefighter/Paramedic E.J. Wilson of South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue Did You Know… Your monthly water bill includes funding to build and maintain hydrants, reservoir space, and mains used for fire suppression. Our Fire Hydrants Fire hydrants are critical parts of a water distribution system. While their primary purpose is fire suppression, they are also used for testing water pressure and cleaning mains. New hydrants cost approximately $1500 apiece, but given their solid construction and regular maintenance, they can provide service for 100 years or more. The District has two full-time utility workers assigned to hydrant maintenance (including Utility Worker Pete Miller shown above).These individuals check to see if the hydrant is visible from the street (and not overgrown with vegetation), and that it is accessible to fire crews who need to use it in an emergency. If you have a hydrant in front of your home, please remove any vegetation or structures within a 3-foot radius. The team will open the hydrant to allow water to flow through it to check whether it is functioning well, and whether the central stem needs added lubrication. They also have gauges to check water pressure, and may repaint the hydrant for added visibility. You may be surprised to see a hydrant lying broken off by the roadside. Yes, drivers do knock them over, but we use “dry” designs so you won’t see a geyser spouting into the air. Many times that hydrant can be put back into service. However, if you are a driver, we suggest that you avoid hitting them! The changing character of the booming housing development in our area is affecting this work. Narrower residential access roads make fire engine access more difficult, and placing three-story homes so close together can make ladder access a challenge. As a result, the need for close cooperation between fire and water agencies together with builders is ever more important. Fire agencies work hard to prevent blazes from even starting, and the team efforts of water and fire agencies have also helped reduce the impacts of fires in this country. Please see the chart below, which demonstrates our progress on fire safety. Planning for Fire Protection is a Collaborative Effort Preventing home fires is everyone’s responsibility, but assuring fires that start can be successfully suppressed to protect both lives and property is also a collaborative effort. The architects and contractors building a development, local government and fire agency officials, and water agencies such as the Alderwood District: all work together to make our communities more resilient to fires. System design starts with our reservoirs. These must be at the right elevation to provide adequate water pressure, and have enough volume to supply fire fights (see sidebar.) Next, each new site development or major remodel within the District must meet the fire code requirements established by the local fire authority. These determine how much water pressure is required, what building materials are required (or prohibited),and whether a building must have automatic sprinklers. Once fire flow requirements are identified, the developer works with District staff to determine what size water mains and other facilities are necessary. District staff uses a computerized hydraulic model of the water system to verify the availability of water quantity and pressure within the system. Engineers must assure not only that the residents can take their morning showers, but that fire suppression requirements will be met. Newly-constructed water mains, services, and fire hydrants must meet the standards of the District, Washington state and American Water Works Association guidelines, and the city or county in which the site is located. District staff review plans, monitor construction activities, and inspect new construction to ensure compliance. S
