It is an urban tradition to open fire hydrants to cool off in the streets during a heat wave.
It is the thankless job of crews of water department officials to shut them off.
Officials say open hydrants stress the water system, and may cause main breaks and orders to boil possibly contaminated water. And if a hydrant is damaged — a sledgehammer is sometimes used to open them — firefighters may have trouble during a fire. Plus, sometimes folks in a neighborhood can’t wash dishes or take a showers because of a lack of water pressure.
So despite the displeasure of those getting a break from the heat, the St. Louis Water Division crews keep at it, closing off roughly 150 hydrants the first two days of this week.
What’s the Bird’s take on the hydrant patrol?
- H2O no! (37%, 14 Votes)
- Spray it ain’t so (29%, 11 Votes)
- Open a cold one (16%, 6 Votes)
- Water, water everywhere (11%, 4 Votes)
- Making a splash (8%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 38