Prestonwood Forest Utility District
Fire Protection –Fire Hydrants or “Flush Valves”
A recent news cast in Houston defined a serious defect in fire protection in certain Houston Subdivisions. The report found that the “fire hydrants” were not really useable for fire protection.
While some subdivisions in Houston have a problem, Prestonwood Forest does not, our Fire Hydrants work!
Some background on the subject from your Board of Directors of Prestonwood Forest Utility District.
In the early years of Water District formation, the “a District” was only able to provide water and sewer service, and was forbidden by law to provide any type of fire protection. So many early Districts(including the ancestors of Prestonwood) provided “flush hydrants” for the district’s operator to flush the system to eliminate water odors, and discoloration. It just so happened that the “flush hydrants” looked exactly like and operated like Fire Hydrants! The State laws were later changed to allow Water Districts to provide fire protection and fire hydrants. So now our fire hydrants are “legal”.
Since inception, the Prestonwood Forest UD board and its consultants have worked together to assure that adequate water is available for fire protection.
One little known facet of this process is the emergency shut-off of transmission pumps when the water available in the main storage tanks reaches a minimum level. This maintains an amount of water for fire protection should the underground pumps fail. We also maintain an inter-connect with an adjacent water district for emergency purposes, should either water supply have an emergency failure.
Additionally, the Board has insisted that builders and developer provide adequate additional fire lines and loops for all additions in the District. We are currently working with the building committee at the Prince of Peace Church to provide water service for their new additions that include fire protection.
We also maintain the Hydrants in working order, repairing any that need it on the advice of the Fire Department or our operator, both of whom test the hydrants regularly.
Each Hydrants bonnet color (the top) designates the size of the water main supplying the hydrant.
Red Bonnet - a 4” Supply Main
Yellow Bonnet - a 6” Supply Main
White Bonnet - a 8’ Supply Main
Green Bonnet - a 10-20” Supply Main
10” is the largest main within the Prestonwood District.
Questions can be emailed to the District via our website www.prestonwoodforestud.org
Or call the District operator at 281-376-8802