Help AWWU Ensure All Hydrants
Are Always Accessible
Over 7,000 fire hydrants are within
Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility’s
water distribution network that stretches
from Girdwood to Anchorage to ChugiakEagle River and Eklutna. All are maintained
by AWWU’s Operations & Maintenance
Division.
A fire hydrant’s primary function is to supply
water for fire protection and provide a
continual flow of water to extinguish fires.
Without hydrants, the Fire Department
would have to transport water to fires in
tankers.
Hydrants are also used for several secondary
functions - street cleaning, water main
flushing, irrigation, construction and as
access points for testing the Utility’s
distribution system flow capabilities.
Help keep hydrants clear of snow during
the winter. Snow removed from roadways,
driveways and parking lots are routinely
deposited on fire hydrants. Snow obstructs a
hydrant maintenance crew from performing
winter inspections. Property owners, home
owners and snow removal operators are
asked to be aware of this and to eliminate
placing snow around hydrants.
AWWU’s fire hydrant crews appreciate the
efforts of property and home owners who
shovel snow away from hydrants and keep
them clear. They encourage others to do the
same. The crew struggles to keep hydrants
clear of snow during heavy snowfalls. When
hydrants are cleared of snow, it allows fire
fighters to quickly get onto fire hydrants in
emergencies. The public is encouraged to
help AWWU keep the hydrants clear of snow
during heavy snowfall periods.
Anchorage Fire Code
Posts, fences, vehicles, trash and other
materials shall not be placed or kept near
fire hydrants that will prevent fire hydrants
from immediate use. The fire department
shall not be prevented or delayed from
gaining immediate access to fire hydrants.
Clear Space Around Hydrants
Residents can help and
ensure a three foot
space is maintained
around fire hydrants at
all times.
Private Fire Hydrant
Maintenance
Winter
maintenance
service helps ensure
public
and
private
hydrants operate in the
coldest months of the year. A private
hydrant is a hydrant installed on private
property and connected to Anchorage’s
water distribution system. This service
includes minor maintenance and thawing
that does not require excavation or snow
removal. The owner will be advised if repairs
are necessary. AWWU may perform repair
work and services to a private fire hydrant
with a written agreement. Private hydrant
owners are responsible for the removal of
snow from around their hydrants.
Why Do Some Hydrants
Have Red Tops?
Hydrants with red tops have been authorized
for water tankers to fill from for landscaping
and/or construction purposes. Each tanker
must have a permit.
Permitted users must obtain a permit, a
meter and a tanker inspection before a
permit is issued. All permit users must have
their permit sticker, visible to the public,
attached to the rear of the truck, authorizing
their use of a “red top” hydrant. Anyone
without a permit and connected to a fire
hydrant is in violation and should be
reported to AWWU at 564-2762.
The use of a hydrant not approved by
AWWU is illegal. It is very important that
AWWU knows which hydrants are being used
to ensure water quality, maintenance and
distribution.
Each fall, all hydrants in AWWU’s distribution
system receive a pre-winter pump down to
prevent the hydrants from freezing. If a
hydrant has been used illegally, it may not
receive the necessary additional pre-winter
pump down in the fall and freeze when the
temperature drops. When hydrants are
discovered to be frozen, they are removed
from service, bagged, repaired and returned
to service as quickly as possible.
Can a fire hydrant be relocated?
The Anchorage Water Tariff states, “…the
Utility may relocate a fire hydrant upon the
request of the customer, if the customer
obtains written approval of the proposed
location
from
the
Anchorage
Fire
Department and reimburses the Utility for
the actual cost of the relocation.”
Following Fire Department approval, contact
AWWU Planning at 564-2739.
Fire Hydrant
Preventive Maintenance
AWWU inspects each fire hydrant five to six
times a year. This equals over 40,000
inspections and service requests. AWWU’s
goal is for no more than one percent of
hydrants to be out-of-service at any given
time. Preventive maintenance includes:
Hydrant Pressure Tests are performed
each spring to determine if hydrants have
been damaged by frost or vehicles over the
winter. Hydrants are also pressure tested
after
each
repair,
adjustment
and
installation. Hydrants that fail pressure tests,
are evaluated, repaired and returned to
service. Burlap bags are placed over
hydrants that are out of service.
Pre-Winter Pump Downs remove water
from inside a hydrant and prevents it from
freezing. Annual pump-downs are planned
throughout the system in August and
September. Pump-downs occur each time a
hydrant is used or serviced.
In freezing winter conditions, hydrants are
serviced 24-hours a day. Hydrants that have
been used are inspected, drained of water
and their nozzle cap threads are lubricated.
Winter Hydrant Servicing ensures the
operational readiness and accessibility of
each fire hydrant maintained by AWWU.
Visual inspections determine if a hydrant has
been hit, used, vandalized or is frozen.
Every six weeks hydrant checks verify the
overall condition of a hydrant, nozzle cap
lubrication, snow removal and installation of
hydrant markers. Winter inspections begin
late October and continue through late
March, or as the winter weather dictates.
Fire Hydrant
Corrective Maintenance
In addition to preventive maintenance,
AWWU also performs corrective maintenance.
These services include:
Steam Thawing is performed on frozen
hydrants. A steam boiler is dispatched to
thaw the hydrant and place it back in service.
Utility crews strive for quick responses and
minimal out-of-service-time.
Hydrant Repairs are prioritized and crews
dispatched to return hydrants to service as
soon as possible. Most repairs are internal to
the hydrant’s valve seat assembly or its
bonnet (cap) assembly.
Hydrants damaged by equipment and
vehicles are usually discovered during fire
hydrant maintenance serviceability checks.
AWWU’s maintenance crews are immediately
dispatched to determine the extent of the
break and take immediate corrective action
to repair the hydrant and place it back in
service.
Anchorage Fire Hydrants
Care & Maintenance
Year-Round Protection
To report a damaged hydrant during the
work week, between 7 am – 4:30 pm, call
550-5914. On weekends and after hours,
call 564-2700.
Operations & Maintenance
Division
Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility
www.awwu.biz / 564-2700
3000 Arctic Blvd.
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
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Anchorage Water and
Wastewater Utility