At its March 13 board meeting, the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Board of Directors discussed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office’s (ACSO’s)Office of Emergency Management regarding the testing of fire hydrants.
To start the discussion, PAWSD board chairman Jim Smith noted the high level of public interest in the topic.
PAWSD District Engineer/Manager Justin Ramsey presented on the MOU, explaining that he met with county staff and that PAWSD will develop a schedule for fire hydrant testing.
He stated that testing would likely occur by pressure zones and that PAWSD has developed a procedure for these tests.
He noted that this procedure would not fully meet the standards for hydrant testing that the American Water Works Association provides due to the standards causing too much damage and wasting too much water.
Ramsey explained that the PAWSD test would be less rigorous, but would involve opening up hydrants and testing the water pressure coming out of the hydrants.
PAWSD will provide training on this test to the ACSO, and ACSO staff will perform these tests, likely beginning in May, Ramsey noted.
PAWSD board member Gene Tautges commented that this was an “awesome solution” for the PAWSD ratepayers and “the right thing to do.”
PAWSD board member Glenn Walsh asked how many hydrants Ramsey expects to be tested per year.
He replied that the district has 1,140 hydrants and that he would like to have 10 percent or 20 percent done each year.
He added that it would be dependent on how much manpower Archuleta County could provide.
Walsh asked if PAWSD has a list of which hydrants have been recently tested and if they could be put at the bottom of the testing list.
Ramsey explained that PAWSD tests “five or six” hydrants each year due to maintenance and will skip those hydrants.
He added that, if PAWSD staff have “slow times” during the summer, they could also assist in testing the hydrants.
Walsh asked if the idea of PAWSD, Archuleta County, the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association and the Pagosa Fire Protection District contributing to hiring a crew each year to do hydrant testing had been discussed.
Ramsey stated that it was not, adding that any such crew would need to be trained due to the potential for damage if testing is done incorrectly.
Following more discussion of how long fire hydrant testing takes, PAWSD Programs Manager Renee Lewis stated that the MOU also includes terms that the county could use some of PAWSD’s lakes for firefighting purposes.
Ramsey stated that PAWSD would be willing to provide water to the county for firefighting from all lakes except Lake Hatcher due to this lake being PAWSD’s main water supply.
Following further discussion, Ramsey noted that water from Hatcher could be used if there were no other water sources available.
josh@pagosasun.com
