Fire Hydrants

Starting at 9 a.m. tomorrow Hampstead residents may notice discoloration in their water when the town's water department personnel begin to flush fire hydrants.Officials recommend that residents reserve enough water for their early morning routines before retiring tomorrow night. They also should run faucets Thursday morning until clear water is received.Residents should refrain from doing laundry Thursday.Although the water will be discolored, town officials said it is fully treated and potable.

A tanker truck making a delivery to an Annapolis gas station started leaking fuel after hitting a fire hydrant Wednesday. The incident happened around 9:30 p.m., according to Capt. Kelly Martin, a spokeswoman for the Annapolis Fire Department. An Eastern Petroleum truck was making a delivery to the Exxon station at West Street and Lafayette Avenue when the truck clipped a fire hydrant. The collision damaged a line to the truck, causing fuel to leak. The truck was carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline, but the leaking tank was holding only 2,500 gallons.

The Westminster Department of Public Works will conduct its annual flushing of fire hydrants from 8 p.m. to midnight Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.Areas that will be affected are Carroll Meadows, Eden Farms and Devlin Square, Sullivan Heights, Hahn Road, Cranberry Road, Cranberry Mall and Cranberry Square.Flushing will cause some discoloration of water, and residents should not do laundry the next day. Faucets should be opened first thing in the morning and allowed to run until water is clear.

The problem: The sidewalks by a Riverside fire station go unshoveled. The backstory: More than a week has passed since two back-to-back storms crippled Baltimore. The news during and after the snowstorms was filled with city officials' pleas to residents and businesses, imploring them to assist with the cleanup by shoveling snow off sidewalks, and from storm drains and fire hydrants. One might ask whether some of the departments should also be doing their part.

The city of Westminster's Department of Public Works, Utility Maintenance Department, will flush fire hydrants from 8 p.m. to midnight Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.Affected areas will be the West Main Street area, including Pennsylvania Avenue, Ward, Hersh, Monroe streets, Kemper and Milton Avenue avenues, Carroll and John streets, and the Westminster and Carroll Plaza shopping centers.Also, Union Street, Sullivan Avenue, Autumn Ridge Court and School House Avenue areas will be flushed.The flushing will cause some water discoloration and residents are advised not to do laundry the day afterward.

Hampstead's Water Department will begin systematically flushing all fire hydrants about 9 p.m. Wednesday.Residents are advised to draw enough water that evening for morning consumption.The average house system contains less than 100 gallons of water.It also would be advisable to refrain from doing laundry through Thursday.Water might be discolored during flushing hours and into Thursday, but is fully treated and potable.Information: Neil Ridgely, 410-239-7408.Around townRec council meets: Charles Carroll Recreation Council will meet at 7: 30 p.m. today at Charles Carroll Elementary School, 3719 Littlestown Pike.

The Harford County Public Works Department's Water and Sewer Division will begin its biannual flushing of fire hydrants tomorrow. Flushing will take place between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. Division officials say they expect the operation to be complete June 30. About 4,000 hydrants are involved.

Yesterday marked the kickoff for Baltimore's "Save Our Water Fire Protection Campaign," an effort by the city to minimize a common summer problem: the unauthorized opening of fire hydrants.The campaign was organized by the city's fire and public works departments. Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, Fire Chief Herman Williams Jr., and Public Works Director George G. Balog attended a kickoff demonstration yesterday outside a city building in the 1000 block of W. Saratoga St.A fire hydrant produces a stream of water that can cause serious injuries, said Battalion Chief Hector Torres, a Fire Department spokesman.

THEY ARRIVE BY caravan -- four men, a truck pulling two trailers, plus an extra car or two."I thought there was a problem with the water main," said a curious neighbor attracted by the unusual entourage.Despite the "ET" suits and hooded face masks, the workers weren't plumbers or space travelers. They're specialized painters from K & K Painting and Contracting of Baltimore, and their job is to strip and repaint fire hydrants.Each crew is equipped with a blast machine, air purifier, dust collector, vacuum and paint.

The Carroll County Bureau of Utilities will begin flushing fire hydrants in the Eldersburg area today.The flushing, which clears the filtration system of sediment that has accumulated in the bottom of lines, will continue through Oct. 29.Residents should not experience any loss of water pressure, county officials said, but tap water may be temporarily discolored. The water is safe to drink and can be used for washing, the officials said.% Information: 857-2164

Digging out of the great snow of February 2010 is going to take a while, county and city officials said on Sunday, and freeing every neighborhood may take some shoveling from residents. Most main roads are now in good shape, transportation officials say, but smaller, secondary roads will take more time to clear with freezing temperatures making it difficult to push two feet of snow off the roads. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is reporting that nearly 16,000 customers are still without power, including 6,500 in Anne Arundel County and 4,000 in Baltimore County.

THE PROBLEM: The sole hydrant on a street has been out of service for more than six months. THE BACKSTORY : Roy L. Shover Sr. wrote an e-mail to "Watchdog" to prevent, as he put it, "a very possible tragic event." His mother lives on Unetta Street off Wilkens Avenue in Southwest Baltimore. Shover says that the hydrant on her block has had an "out of service" sign on it for at least half a year and that it's the only hydrant on that street. He found other hydrants in the neighborhood "quite a distance from her home."

The state Board of Public Works has awarded Harford County $1,031,500 for park expansions and playground equipment. The county will receive $714,000 to partially fund the purchase of 66 acres near Dublin for a new community park. The purchase protects wooded areas and will also offer the northern Harford area new athletic fields, picnic pavilions and a playground, once the project is fully developed. A $212,500 grant will mean Prospect Mill Park in Bel Air grows by more than four acres.

Howard County has ordered millions of dollars of fire and public safety equipment that leaders say will help address safety and communication concerns in the event of a disaster. Many of the six vehicles will replace run-down ones, and a few offer technologies that have never been used in the county. Workers inside a new mobile communications hub will be able to view live footage from the department's helicopter for the first time, and the truck will be wired with the county's first mobile network that routes radio and cell phone communications over the Internet.

CENTRAL Westminster fire hydrants to be flushed The Westminster Department of Public Works will flush fire hydrants from 8 p.m. to midnight tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday in the Wakefield Valley, Avondale, Carroll Lutheran Village and Diamond Hills areas. Residents are advised to draw water the night before the hydrant flushing and not to do laundry the day after flushing. Faucets should be run the first thing in the morning until the water clears. Water is treated and potable even if discolored.

The Harford County Public Works Department's Water and Sewer Division will begin its biannual flushing of fire hydrants tomorrow. Flushing will take place between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. Division officials say they expect the operation to be complete June 30. About 4,000 hydrants are involved.

It's 90 degrees and children are running through the streets in their swimsuits, bathing in the cool water gushing from a nearby open fire hydrant and splashing their bare feet in puddles along the curb.This seemingly innocent summer scene occurs frequently in Baltimore neighborhoods. But opening the hydrants is a dangerous practice that can lead to injuries and hamper firefighters trying to battle a blaze, according to city officials.Jets of water streaming from hydrants under high pressure can knock small children into the paths of cars.

A fire that destroyed a Clarksville mansion Friday, causing an estimated $6.7 million in damage, started accidentally, according to Howard County fire officials. William E. Mould, a Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue spokesman, confirmed reports that the fire in the home of developer Frederick W. Kunkle Jr. in the 12700 block of Maryvale Court started after several children were burning paper outside the home. Mould would not provide any information about the children. A spark ignited material in the garage about 5 p.m., Mould said, and the fire moved rapidly into the house, particularly into the attic space.

A fire that destroyed a Clarksville mansion Friday, causing an estimated $6.7 million in damage, started accidentally, according to Howard County fire officials. William E. Mould, a Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services spokesman, confirmed reports that the fire in the home of developer Frederick W. Kunkle Jr. in the 12700 block of Maryvale Court started after several children were burning paper outside the home. Mould would not provide any information about the children.