Letters: Philadelphia Water Commissioner Howard M. Neukrug responds on hydrants

RE THE FEB. 15 article

"Bad Hydrants Often Go Unnoticed - Till They're Needed"

:

Every fire is a potential tragedy, particularly when citizens and firefighters are injured or lose their lives. That's why protecting the public and the city's dedicated firefighters is of the utmost priority to the Water Department.

On average, 99.6 percent of the city's 26,000 hydrants are in good working order. Water Department hydrant crews are on the job every day, repairing an average of 5,000 hydrants a year, to ensure that we maintain the highest level of service.

Our department prioritizes hydrant repairs based on a number of criteria, one of which is the density of hydrants in an area. If one hydrant is out of service, there are other available hydrants nearby in the event of a fire. This criterion is held above all others.

Many hydrants are damaged due to unauthorized use. The public is our eyes and ears, and we encourage anyone who sees a broken hydrant or anyone tampering with one to report it as soon as possible by calling 215-685-6300.

Howard M. Neukrug

Philadelphia Water Commissioner