Press release from City of Hendersonville:
The City of Hendersonville is ramping up efforts on a project to upgrade hydrants throughout its water system, but particularly inside the city limits where the majority of the older hydrants are located. Most often the older hydrants are red in color, include only two nozzles and have no valve to isolate the hydrant from the water system. Hendersonville Water and Sewer personnel plan to repair or replace more than sixty hydrants over the next two years, including the addition of isolation valves, for those that currently have none.
“Our hydrant replacement program is aimed at improving public safety and reliability,” said City Manager John Connet. “Many of the hydrants scheduled to be replaced are between 70 to 100 years old.” John Connect explained the City’s fire and water/sewer departments collaborated to identify the hydrants that needed attention and will systematically make repairs and replacements.
New hydrants use standardized quick connects, commonly referred to as Storz, and allow firefighters to quickly attach which can save time on the fireground. Some of these new hydrants have an even larger hose connection which allow firefighters to utilize larger hoses for fighting fires. Modern hydrants are also easier for water/sewer department staff to maintain because they can be disassembled for repairs and future maintenance. As an added benefit of the program, staff will be installing hydrant isolation valves during the hydrant replacement work; additional valves allow staff to more easily isolate hydrants in order to greatly minimize the number of customers impacted by service disruption when future hydrant repairs or replacements are required.
Part of the replacement plan includes designating personnel to lead the project. As part of the current budget, City Council authorized Hendersonville Water and Sewer to establish an additional valve and hydrant crew and a crew leader to oversee the activities of the two crews. These individuals will lay out the replacement schedule and work with operations support personnel to notify residents and businesses when work will impact their water service. The valve and hydrant crews will also assist with scheduled water system line flushing to maintain water quality and fire flow protection for the community.
When a hydrant is being flushed or replaced, water customers in the immediate vicinity may experience pressure fluctuations, water discoloration, loss of water service, and may be placed under a boil water advisory depending on the circumstances. Boil water advisories are issued in response to an event that could allow contaminants to enter the water system. Water samples are collected and tested to ensure the water is safe to drink before the advisory is lifted.
“We make an effort to notify customers ahead of hydrant replacements and scheduled line work,” said Utilities Director Lee Smith, “but these notifications will only reach people if their contact information is up to date.” Smith stressed the importance of customers to keep their phone numbers and email addresses current, so they know about boil water advisories associated with scheduled utility work as well as unexpected water main breaks.
Hendersonville Water & Sewer customers can visit www.hendersonvillenc.gov/pay-my-bill and choose ‘Online Payments’ to access the Customer Self Service portal. The dashboard allows customers to view and manage bills as well as update their contact information. Account holders can also update their information at https://www.hendersonvillenc.gov/update-customer-contact-information or call Customer Service at (828) 697-3052 for assistance.
Ideally, the valve and hydrant maintenance crew’s goal would be to tackle one hydrant a week, but the schedule must remain fluid to accommodate for inclement weather. Also, during unforeseen water main breaks, the hydrant crews are often pulled in to assist with emergency repair operations which have the potential to delay the hydrant replacement schedule.
More information and a tentative schedule of hydrant replacements are available at https://www.hendersonvillenc.gov/hydrant-replacement-program
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