Hydrant testing by the Junction City Fire Department will resume next week between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fire Chief Jason Lankas said City hydrants will be tested to ensure that they're operable and able to produce the required water pressure when needed to supply water for firefighting purposes.
Because the testing must be done during normal operating hours, it is impossible to know in advance just where or when exactly 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 by running the water for just a few minutes.
This testing ensures the protection of Junction City residents and is an evaluation indicator used by the Insurance Services Organization which rates cities according to the fire protection they offer. The recent ISO 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 Fire Department is working to maintain and potentially lower the overall ISO's current rating.
The following areas is where this year’s testing of hydrants will be;
--1st concentration - Ash Street north to HWY K-18 and Spring Valley Rd. east to Eisenhower Drive
--2nd concentration- HWY 18 north to North Park Dr and Spring Valley Rd. east to Custer Rd.
--3rd concentration-Wildcat Ln north to Rucker Rd. and Munson Rd. east to Spring Valley Rd.
--4th concentration-Rucker Rd. north to city limits and Blue Jay Way east to HWY U.S. 77
Maintenance and testing will start Monday April 11th and be completed by May 27th.