Damage to Taos fire hydrants causes 270K gallons of water loss
TAOS, N.M. (KRQE) – About 270,000 gallons of water in Taos went to waste after several fire hydrants were opened and damaged earlier this week. The Taos Fire Department is now asking the community to come forward with information about whoever is responsible.
“Some hydrants have a lock that’s on the hydrant itself. So in order to access it and use the hydrant, the locking mechanism was damaged and removed on a few hydrants,” said Taos Fire Department Lt. Brian Levine. “There’s damage to the operating nut on most of the hydrants, which is the piece on top of a hydrant that you open and close.”
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The fire department responded to about 11 to 12 hydrants starting at 6 p.m. on Monday night until about 4 a.m. Tuesday morning. Hydrants were not the only things damaged. Levine said the water that was released caused “premature erosion, debris in the roadway, damage to asphalt and property.”
Levine said the fire hydrants that were damaged are awaiting repair and are currently inoperable, which is a major concern. “This is water that we use to shower with, as well as for our emergency response. And it being fire season, as well as any other emergencies, fires that we respond to, this is all of our resource. And it’s not expendable in the sense that we can’t waste it, we can’t afford to waste,” Levine explained.
If needed in an emergency, the fire department can shuttle in water; however, it is not ideal. “So we’d have to shuttle water in from somewhere else, which is just going to delay and make that emergency more of a challenge,” Levine said.
Residents are asked to immediately report any suspicious activity near fire hydrants to central dispatch at 575-758-2217. To report a damaged fire hydrant or one with flowing water, contact the Public Works Department at 575-751-2047.
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