Wednesday, January 31, 2001
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Wednesday, January 31, 2001 |
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Residents' fire hydrant request to be considered By DAVE
HAMRICK
Fayette water officials will talk again about a request from the Cedar Trail subdivision for fire hydrants to protect their homes. Developers dug a well to supply the 28-home subdivision when it was built several years ago, according to county water system director Tony Parrott, but the well was problematic, and the county eventually hooked the subdivision into the county system. That means there's plenty of water available to supply fire hydrants, but the substandard PVC pipe that serves the homes couldn't stand the pressure that's necessary to fight a fire, Parrott said. "Unless you're going to change out the pipe in the entire subdivision, I wouldn't recommend putting hydrants in," he told the county Water Committee last week. That would cost around $50,000, he added. Committee members seemed inclined to deny the request, but County Attorney Bill McNally suggested further discussion. "We decided to take over water provision, and now they want fire protection," he said. "What you've done is bought yourself a liability." Cedar Trail is the only subdivision that's currently on county water with lines unable to handle fire hydrants, Parrott said. But there are 12 subdivisions currently on private well systems that can't provide fire protection, he added. If hydrants were attached to the systems and there was a fire, the wells "would be used up in five minutes," predicted committee member Dr. George Patton. Among such neighborhoods are Line Creek Estates, LaFayette Estates and Newton Plantation. But those areas aren't the Water Committee's responsibility, McNally said. "They've made that choice, and it's part and parcel of the risk they take," he said. In future, new subdivisions won't have that problem, Parrott said. Developers are required to install water lines that meet the county's standards, he said. As for Cedar Trail, McNally advised the committee to consider when to upgrade the neighborhood and how to pay for it. "We need to make sure when we make that decision we're not penalizing the people that are paying the water bills," he said. The group decided to put the request back on the agenda for a future meeting.
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