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Photo: Fire hydrant flushing on Ellicott Street, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens
fire hydrant flushing
City of Batavia firefighters flushing a hydrant on Ellicott Street on Thursday morning.
Photo by Howard Owens

It's an annual rite of spring: Fire hydrant flushing, which helps keep the hydrants servicable for emergencies.  City Fire crews flushed hydrants in a couple of city neighborhoods this morning.

In a release, City Fire explained the necessity of fire hydrant flushing:

This annual testing is essential to maintain the communities class III Insurance Services Office (ISO) public protection classification, and to assure that fire hydrants are operating efficiently for fire protection purposes. Along with maintaining the fire rating, the test monitors the health of the city's water system, identifies weak areas in the system, and removes material that settle in the water lines. 

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