Junction City Fire Department starts hydrant flushing process

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (WIBW) - The Junction City Fire Department continues its hydrant testing this week. The department finished zone 203, which was the North Park Area, and is beginning the 212/213 area which will be west of Spring Valley Road.

The City hydrants are tested to ensure they’re operable and able to produce the required water pressure when needed to supply water for firefighting purposes.

Because this testing must be done during normal operating hours, it is impossible to know in advance just where or when exactly the testing will take place in any specific area. Opening hydrants can sometimes cause a temporary discoloration of water in nearby homes. The discoloration is not harmful in any way and can be cleared up by running the water for a few minutes.

This kind of testing not only ensures the protection of Junction City residents, it’s also an evaluation indicator used by the Insurance Services Organization which rates cities according to the fire protection they offer. The recent Insurance Services Organization rating resulted in the elevation of the City of Junction City to a Class 3 protection rating, by maintaining a system of checks and maintenance on the City’s fire protection assets, the department is working to maintain and potentially lower the overall Insurance Services Organization’s current rating.

”Main importance for the residents is that we have water at strategic locations in the city on the ends of the street you’ll see those hydrants. They’re essential for carrying water because we only take about 4 or 5 hundred gallons of water on our fire truck, we need more water to put that house fire out,” said Jason Lankas, fire chief of Junction City Fire Department.

Maintenance and testing will be completed by June 10th.

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