Fernie’s public works department said unauthorized hydrant use is costing the city money and putting undue strain on the community’s water supply.
Fernie’s Director of Engineering and Public Works Dustin Haeusler said it is a significant issue for the department.
“The tough pill to swallow is when water crews are doing voluntary water conservation and we see the numbers start to do better, then we get a call about unauthorized access to a hydrant by a company who we just refused bulk water to because we’re under voluntary water restrictions, yet they’re cracking a hydrant anyway,” explained Haeusler.
When a fire hydrant is used, city staff must inspect it for damage and faults before it can be recommissioned for use by the fire department.
“When we don’t know if a hydrant has been accessed, then we can’t do that inspection and we can’t guarantee it’s going to work,” said Haeusler.
Mayor Milligan said he was unaware of the issue, but the news was upsetting.
“This is new to me, but it strikes me as a pretty egregious activity if you are connecting to a fire hydrant without notice. This is a primary piece of community safety equipment,” said Milligan.
Currently, Fernie offers bulk water use from a city-owned hydrant and Haeusler said this puts a substantial cost onto the city.
“This is offered from a hydrant in the operations yard which is frequently damaged and needs repairs at least three times a year,” said Haeusler.
“It probably costs us in the ballpark of $10,000 to $15,000 per year.”
Haeusler hopes the city will eventually get rid of its bulk water program altogether.
“$60 for unlimited water doesn’t quite sit right and we’re spending quite a bit of operational money and staff time to repair this hydrant,” said Haeusler.
Haeusler proposed increasing the fines for unauthorized hydrant use up to $2,000 for the first offence and $3,000 for subsequent offences.
“There was a bit of a push to increase that, but the fines are set at a rate that our bylaw officers enforce and impose those fines directly without going through a lengthy court process,” said Milligan.
The increased fines are part of Fernie’s move to implement community-wide water use regulations, which will come back for adoption on June 25.
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