In a recent City Council meeting, West Covina officials revealed that eight different water agencies serve the city—and each of those agencies is responsible for hydrant maintenance.
Key take-aways:
- The West Covina Fire Department confirmed they’ve had no current issues with dry hydrants or lacking water pressure, but emphasized that hydrants must be inspected annually and flow-tested every five years in line with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines.
- One of the serving utilities, Suburban Water Systems, serves roughly 300,000 customers and maintains about 7,000 hydrants—including roughly 2,100 within West Covina.
- The utility noted that many mains were installed in the 1950s–60s, and while they aim to replace about 1 % of pipe footage per year, current authorization from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is much lower—meaning replacement could stretch to centuries unless the pace is increased.
- Short- and long-term measures discussed include: hydrant spot inspections, five-year flow testing, backup generation at pump stations, reservoir tank inspections and recoating, and a prioritized multi-decade pipe-replacement program.
- City officials will continue working to obtain full inspection records from smaller purveyors and update the Council once non-disclosure agreements are settled.
This is a move worth noting if you live or work in West Covina—both for public-safety awareness and for the future of the city’s water infrastructure.
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