34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
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Driver faces mountain of costs in wake of hydrant accident
 Turning off the water Attleboro Water Department workers Bob Amadon and Marc Varrieur shut off the valve to a fire hydrant after a car hit it at 201 Tiffany St. in Attleboro on Monday. The water flooded the area. VIDEO: To view video of the accident scene, go to thesunchronicle.com/local_video/. (Sun Chronicle photo by Tom Maguire)
Top Headlines That's just the start, city officials say. The water department is still tallying the cost to the city, which Water Superintendent Christine Millhouse said will be charged to the driver's auto insurance. A new hydrant costs about $1,500, but added to that will be costs for labor, trenching and other expenses - and none of them comes cheap. The water department does not yet have an estimate of how much water was lost, but according to the National Fire Protection Association, hydrants are sized to flow at a minimum rate of 1,500 gallons per minute. And it doesn't stop there. Several hydrants were flushed and left running by the water department Monday night to clear debris from neighborhood water mains. Water quality has since returned to normal, Millhouse said Tuesday. "When something like this happens, there's increased velocity going through the pipes, which scours the inside of the pipes," she said. "Inside, there is a layer of rust-like material that then goes into the water, causing it to discolor. "There are no known health effects caused by the rust, but it makes the water unpleasing, especially for drinking or doing laundry, she said. The fire department said it was essential to replace the damaged fire hydrant as quickly as possible. "Based on city ordinance, there is a hydrant every 500 feet," fire Capt. Al Murrant said. "But a lot of the time, there's a problem with a hydrant and it isn't working correctly - even if it appears to be fine - and that compounds the problem. "It's important to replace the hydrant because it may be another 500 feet or more to go and lay the hose, which is a time delay," he said.
Post Your Comments iamup200020002000 wrote on Jun 25, 2008 9:06 PM: " Okay everyone think the insurance of the driver does go up just like anyones in an accident or traffic violation. So It does not come out of anyones pocket but the insured " harry hindsight wrote on Jun 25, 2008 6:29 PM: " Does the driver also have to pay the sewer rate for the water used also? We all know it costs more to flush than it does to drink. " jeylbee420 wrote on Jun 25, 2008 1:57 PM: " Ok... so his insurance is going to pay for the hydrant! What about drug testing him for falling asleep a 5 in the afternoon. AND WHO IS PAYING FOR THE WATER DAMAGE TO THE 3 HOUSES THAT GOT WATER IN THE BASEMENTS & YARDS??? " ld1973 wrote on Jun 25, 2008 1:50 PM: " mmarcia, how do you know if it was his fault or not? You don't. That's why it's called an accident and that is what insurance is for. Nothing in both of the articles indicate what happened. " mmarcia wrote on Jun 25, 2008 1:30 PM: " Thye driver SHOULD pay, and if it's his insuracne company, they should cecoup their losses from him. Sure, we have to have insuracne in case we have an accident, but this was clearly his fault. Unless the hydrnt just happened to wander into the road... " watcher2 wrote on Jun 25, 2008 12:08 PM: " The driver pays??? or his insurance company which ultimately means YOU pay for the repairs? " jose21 wrote on Jun 25, 2008 11:05 AM: " You do Harry. " Harry Hindsight wrote on Jun 25, 2008 7:23 AM: " Ok, this driver pays for the repairs. But when the fire department uses a hydrant, they also disturb the rust in the pipes. Who pays for the flushing of the system then? " or
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