West Covina fire and water officials told the City Council on April 1 that eight different water purveyors serve the city, that responsibilities for hydrant maintenance rest with the individual purveyors, and that utilities are seeking more funding to accelerate replacement of aging pipelines.

Chief Chip Brown of the West Covina Fire Department told the council the department “has not experienced an issue with dry hydrants or lack of water pressure,” but emphasized that companies must keep hydrants inspected and flow-tested. “NFPA requires annual inspection for leaks, damage, function, and clearance around the hydrants,” Brown said. He said flow testing is required every five years.

The presentation included officials from Valencia Heights Water District and Suburban Water Systems. Michael Delgado, vice president of field operations for Suburban Water Systems, said Suburban serves roughly 300,000 residents across its system and maintains about 7,000 hydrants systemwide, including about 2,100 hydrants inside West Covina. “Part of our job as a water utility is to help maintain public safety and to help maintain public health,” Delgado said. He described a multi‑decade pipeline replacement program the company prefers to run at about 1 percent of pipe footage per year but said the California Public Utilities Commission recently approved a much smaller rate that would slow that work.

Valencia Heights staff described their system as having 11 reservoirs with capacity of 5.5 million gallons, three wells, and four interconnections with neighboring agencies to support reliability during emergencies.

Utility officials described short- and long-term measures: spot inspections of hydrants, five‑year flow testing, portable and permanent backup generators at pump stations, tank inspections and recoating, and a prioritized pipeline replacement program. Delgado said Suburban has invested about $15 million in pipeline replacement in 2025 and that many mains were installed between 1955 and 1965, which helps explain the need for ongoing upgrades.

Council members pressed for answers about regulatory oversight and public disclosure. Chief Brown said the city was still securing records from some purveyors and negotiating a nondisclosure agreement with Suburban to receive inspection reports, but he pledged to inform the council to the extent NDAs allow. Councilman Brian Cantos asked for an update by June on which purveyors have met inspection/testing requirements; Brown said staff is still collecting and will report back.

Delgado and Suburban President Craig Gott said customers can review a consumer confidence report online for information about water quality, and Delgado outlined customer assistance programs including a $9 monthly discount, leak-repair rebates up to $500, and a lifeline program to replace leaking service lines from meter to house.

Council members asked about the CPUC decision that approved a lower pipeline-replacement rate than the utility requested. Delgado said the utility will reapply for higher replacement authorization in the next cycle and asked the council for a letter of support; he said the reduced rate approved by the CPUC would stretch replacement to centuries at the currently authorized pace.

The presentation closed with city staff noting they will continue outreach to smaller purveyors, work to obtain inspection records, and coordinate any further reporting to the council once NDAs are settled.