On the corner of 11th Avenue and Patterson Street, there is a fire hydrant that dates back to the 1940s.
The hydrant's paint has chipped off so much, it’s hard to tell if yellow was its original color. There is rust in every nook and cranny, from its base to its side. And yet, despite its aging look, the hydrant is in functioning condition due to maintenance and upkeep.
“Maintenance is a way to keep costs down if you properly maintain infrastructure.” said Mike Masters, the Water Operations Manager at the Eugene Water & Electric Board. “For example, this hydrant … functions properly because it's been maintained well over those years.”
EWEB is hoping to transfer ownership of city-owned fire hydrants from the City of Eugene to the utility. According to EWEB, this transfer will help streamline the maintenance and upkeep of Eugene’s hydrants.
Old fire hydrants are common in Eugene. According to EWEB, about 300 of them were installed before 1960, and hundreds have passed their expected service life. This means that they need to be evaluated for replacement.
Masters said while old age itself is not an indicator that a hydrant will malfunction, replacements and check-ups do need to be done frequently for damage, parts replacement, and inadequate water pressure. He said frequently checking on hydrants will help decrease costly maintenance needs in the future.
The City of Eugene currently owns about 85% of the 4,500 fire hydrants in the city. These hydrants are maintained by the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department.
Eugene-Springfield Fire Chief Mike Caven said if this transfer were to go through, it would help ease his department's workload. Right now, the department only has one person who does hydrant maintenance, and they’re already spread thin.
That's not the only thing that that person is responsible for,” said Caven. “They're one of our emergency equipment technicians that works, tests our ladders, tests our fire pumps. So, yeah, it's just a lot.”
Caven said bringing EWEB into this work makes sense because the hydrants are connected to water valves that already fall under EWEB’s jurisdiction.
“It's very rare to see the water utility not be the one who owns those hydrants. Because hydrants are attached to a valve. It's attached to a water main,” said Caven. “And when you think about just water security and system maintenance and continuity, it's a big deal, and I think they are best suited.”
Masters agrees.
“There's mutual benefits for the community and the city and EWEB,” he said. “A lot of it is administrative, things like, for instance, contracts to purchase hydrants or work orders, etc, like that would be a lot more streamlined.”
EWEB officials say they’re currently in active discussion with Eugene city council on how the ownership will be transferred.
“Both EWEB and the City are assessing opportunities and risks so we can evaluate the best path forward for our individual organizations and the community,” said EWEB spokesperson Aaron Orlowski.
