Each year SPU repaints approximately 100 fire hydrants, rotating through the thousands of hydrants within our water system. Neighborhoods or areas are selected based on visual inspections and date of last painting by Water Department Supervisor, Tony Myers. He states:
“It’s important to SPU and the community that our fire hydrants not only function properly, but their appearance is well-maintained also.”
Why aren’t SPU’s hydrants red?
Based on standards developed by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), color coding of fire hydrants helps firefighters to immediately identify a suitable water source that will provide enough water for firefighting efforts. You will see SPU’s fire hydrants are painted yellow and green. The yellow body indicates the water is supplied by a municipal water system and the green top indicates the flow from this hydrant is between 1,000-1,499 gallons per minute, with many of SPU’s hydrants capable of providing over 2,000 gallons per minute.
And so the theory that our hydrant colors have anything to do with a neighboring sports team has been dispelled!
