Trenton Water Works says it will paint 3,501 fire hydrants in its five-municipality service area over the next 24 months, weather permitting.
TWW personnel will strip hydrants of old layers of paint, and then apply primer and two fresh coats. Color codes to indicate flow volume in gallons per minute are as follows: Light Blue: 1,500 gallons per minute; green: 1,000-1,499 gallons per minute; orange: 500-999 gallons per minute; red: less than 500 gallons per minute.
A spokesperson for the waterworks says the utility is improving the quality of its fire hydrants for effective fire suppression. The waterworks has been inspecting fire hydrants for operability and flow rate over the last few months, and now plans to vary their paint colors to indicate how quickly water flows from them to fire personnel and emergency responders.
The utility is asking residents to remove plantings and decorations that might be obscuring local hydrants. Hydrants should never be blocked, hidden, or decorated, as this interferes with emergency access.
If you have questions about TWW’s hydrant paint project, including reporting hydrants that have been knocked over or are not functioning properly, call TWW’s construction and maintenance department at (609) 989-3222.
