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Utility's Extra Valves Save the Day
Author(s) -
Miller Doug
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.2003.tb01716.x
Subject(s) - waterline , engineering , aeronautics , marine engineering , environmental science , hull
This article reports on a freight train derailment that tore loose a fire hydrant from a water line in the small town of Lyle, Washington. The article describes how the Klickitat Public Utility District (KPUD) handled the substantial loss of water pressure in the community by turning off three valves to completely isolate the fire hydrant and wellhouse area. KPUD had the foresight to install new valves in the early 1990s when they added new fire hydrants, preparing for a new waterline extension. Without the newer valves, the system could not have been pressurized until the train car had been removed because there would have been no access to the shutoff valve at the wellhouse fire hydrant.