Terry Petersen of the Austin Fire Department flushes water from a hydrant Thursday, a yearly process for maintaining and cleaning the nearly 1,100 fire hydrants in the city.

Friday, April 07, 2000

Terry Petersen of the Austin Fire Department flushes water from a hydrant Thursday, a yearly process for maintaining and cleaning the nearly 1,100 fire hydrants in the city. Petersen said depending on which of the city’s 11,00 hydrants is opened, up to 1,000 gallons of water is run per minute. Inside the hydrant, a plunger keeps the water from running out. As the valve is opened, the plunger rises and releases water. According to Petersen, the hydrants are flushed to make sure the valves work and, in cooperation with Austin Utilities, the pipes are flushed. The flushing process gets rid of sand, dirt, grit and rust that builds up in the sitting water.