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Clearlake adopts first reading of hydrant inspection and flow-testing ordinance
Summary
Council gave first reading to Ordinance 275-2024 to require annual hydrant inspection and five-year flow testing consistent with NFPA standards; Golden State Water Company will share existing reports and staff will begin baseline tests within six months.
Clearlake’s City Council moved forward on Ordinance 275-2024, an ordinance adding Chapter 13-3 to the municipal code that establishes fire hydrant inspection, maintenance and testing requirements.
City staff recommended adopting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards as the baseline: annual inspection and maintenance conducted by certified water operators and flow testing every five years. Staff told the council a baseline round of testing should be initiated within the next six months so the city has current, comparable data for planning and emergency response.
City staff reported that some water companies already compile testing data and that Golden State Water Company’s general manager said the company would share existing standards and reports. Council members pushed for accurate, standardized data because incomplete or dated hydrant-flow data has hampered planning and fire-service ISO considerations.
Councilmember Slooten and Councilmember Kramer both described repeated efforts to obtain reliable data; staff said the ordinance is intended to standardize expectations and data collection rather than to be punitive to water companies. The motion for first reading and introduction passed unanimously.
What’s next: Staff will receive and review existing reports from water companies and start the baseline inspection/testing program by the timeline in the ordinance.
