By Jason Lankas
Junction City Fire Chief
Fire Chief Jason Lankas has announced that the Junction City Fire Department will continue hydrant testing starting April 1st during the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00PM Monday through Friday. The City hydrants will be 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 and is 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 Junction City to a Class 3 protection rating.
The following areas is where this year’s testing of hydrants will be;
1st concentration – Zone 213 east of U.S. Highway 77 to Caroline Avenue and south of Saint Marys Road to Goldenbelt Boulevard
2nd concentration – Zone 215 south of I-70, and west of U.S. 77 Industrial Park Area
3rd Concentration – Zone 210 east of Eisenhower Dr. to Madison Street and north of 8th Street to Ash Street.
4th Concentration – Zone 207 east of Eisenhower Drive to Madison Street and from 8th street to the north
5th Concentration – Zone 203 east of 77 Hwy to Custer Rodd and everything north of North Park Drive.