MWSD and CalFire staff will be testing fire hydrants in our community between May 5th and 13th. Testing will occur between 9AM-3PM daily for a period of 3-6 days. These tests ensure we have adequate flow and system data when firefighting water is needed to fight domestic house fires.

When a hydrant is tested in your neighborhood, you may experience discolored water at your home faucets or other fixtures. Should you notice discolored water, turn on your front hose bib – the outdoor faucet at the front of the house – until the water runs clear. Also run cold water from the faucets inside your home for 1-3 minutes until clear.

Unusual high-flow water conditions – such as during hydrant testing – can stir up sediment or scale within our water pipes. Sediment from pipes is aesthetically unpleasing, but not a hazardous or a water quality concern. We do recommend you flush your home water pipes to prevent build-up of sediment in fixtures or appliances.

MWSD provides all water for domestic firefighting in our community. CalFire has confirmed the District has adequate water storage on-hand to meet the firefighting needs of our community. Municipal water systems – such as MWSD – are not designed to fight forest or wildland fires, nor the fires we recently saw in the Santa Cruz mountains. Our water system, hydrants and storage are sized to support fire suppression for domestic homes and businesses.