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Harts and Trails board reviews hydrant inventory and replacement approaches as water loss falls
Summary
Board discussion centered on a 232-unit fire hydrant inventory with multiple brands and methods for staged replacement; General Manager Tullen reported a drop in system water loss.
General Manager Tullen told the Harts and Trails Water & Sewer Utility Board that the utility’s measured water loss declined this reporting period and that staff wants guidance on a multi-year fire-hydrant replacement program.
Tullen said, “Our water loss is down this month. They were down to 30.7%… we did install a hydrant or a meter at the water plant to get their water usage down there.” The comment accompanied a broader presentation on hydrant inventory and parts availability.
The hydrant inventory in the packet shows 232 hydrants and eight different manufacturers on the system, board members said. Discussion traced the problem to a mix of older hydrants, discontinued product lines and limited parts availability. Board members described a history in which the utility previously decided to perform hydrant work in-house to control costs and parts stocking rather than contracting out all replacements.
Board members debated how to sequence replacements. Options discussed included replacing the oldest units first, replacing hydrants identified as inoperable during annual flow testing, consolidating brands to two or three to simplify parts stocking, or grouping replacements geographically so they coincide with paving or other public-works projects. Board members noted that some hydrants on Murray Boulevard date to the 1950s and 1960s, while much of the remaining inventory dates to the 2000s.
No formal motion was made. Board members asked staff to continue compiling details on parts availability, estimated labor and concrete/paving impacts and to coordinate timing with public-works projects where possible. The board did not set a schedule or budget in the meeting.
The discussion also included operational context: staff noted that hydrant inoperability discovered during flow testing is currently replaced at the time of testing, and that more-extensive replacements require excavation and pavement restoration that increase cost and scheduling complexity.
Board members described the replacement program as an ongoing, multi-year endeavor and acknowledged that emergency repairs and leaks continue to take priority over planned replacements.
