HYDRANT TESTS SHOW A FEW PROBLEMS

A few fire hydrants in Cape Girardeau aren't ready for fires, the acting fire chief said.

Although less than 1 percent of approximately 400 fire hydrants checked this year had problems, four of them are in the Randal Farms Subdivision where houses are worth more than $200,000.

"We would hope that we would find no problems, but that hasn't been the case," said Mark Hasheider, acting fire chief.

The fire department is conducting the most thorough inspection of Cape Gir-ardeau's 1,642 fire hydrants since the water system was acquired from Union Electric in 1992. Alliance Water Resources manages the system through a contract with the city.

The inspection has found few problems, Hasheider said. In newly developed areas, some hydrants were not turned on, while older parts of Cape Girardeau have hydrants in need of minor repairs.

"As we find these problems, the water department is getting out there and repairing them," he said.

In cases where hydrants were off or lacked water pressure, Hasheider said a private contractor failed to turn hydrants on properly.

Surprised residents

Residents in the subdivision near Kenneth Drive and Route W were surprised that their fire hydrants might not work.

"When you buy a house like this, it's not something that you'd expect," said Rob Younghouse, who has lived in the area for three years.

Firefighters have been testing hydrants since May 22. Along with checking for leaks, proper drainage and lubricating threads on discharged caps, tests of water flow have been performed for the first time, Hasheider said.

Testing was stopped Monday due to warmer weather. Since approximately 1,000 to 2,000 gallons of water are used in each flow test, Alliance Water Resources has asked firefighters to postpone the inspections, said Kevin Priester, water manager.

"We're not asking for any community conservation orders, but we are trying to do anything we can to conserve water," Priester said.

When the fire department discussed hydrant tests with him six weeks ago, Priester said he requested that they wait until the fall. However, since early May was cool and rainy, he told firefighters they could begin as long as the weather cooperated.

"Once we hit 90 degrees, it makes usage climb up until we get rain again," Priester said.

When the water plant's expansion is complete this fall, high temperatures won't curtail future hydrant tests, he said.

Regular maintenance of hydrants is planned to be conducted more regularly, at least every three years, Hasheider said.

About 300 new hydrants have been installed in Cape Girardeau by Alliance since 1992. Seventy-five have been replaced because of age or poor condition.