MOOSE JAW — The City of Moose Jaw operates and maintains 1,048 hydrants throughout the community, with 33 of those infrastructure pieces — or roughly 3.15 per cent — currently not operating, new data show.
The municipality inspects hydrants in different ways, including through visual internal inspections, unidirectional flushing (UDF) programs and operational inspections, explained a report presented during the recent regular city council meeting.
This is a topic that council also discussed in 2023 and 2020.
Visual internal inspections see city crews annually check the internal state of hydrants, while operational inspections see crews physically operate a hydrant and verify that it is working, the document said.
These latter inspections occur during UDF programs, water main replacements, water main repairs, follow-ups after the fire department uses them, vehicle accidents and when contractors temporarily use water for projects.
“Operations has not yet defined a level of service for hydrant upkeep and connected it to budget/resource requirements,” the report continued. “The … information (in the report) is tracked in manual spreadsheets and inspection reports. (Meanwhile), the city does not have a work-order system.”
The data showed that in 2024, roughly 840 hydrants, or 80 per cent, were painted, while 493 units (47.04 per cent) were visually inspected and 228 units (21.76 per cent) received operational inspections.
Furthermore, the municipality is aware of other hydrants that require work, including:
- 14 units require full replacements
- 12 units require replacements of internal mechanisms
- Four units are missing a body and/or require the replacement of a breakaway piece
- Three units have operational issues and require minor repairs
- 30 total hydrants are not operable at all
Meanwhile, the city replaces hydrants during its infrastructure — feeder mains or cast iron — capital projects, the report said. This includes:
- In 2020, new hydrants were installed during phase 4 of the east feeder main project, while 19 were replaced during phase 6 of the cast iron water main replacement program
- In 2021, the city replaced 22 units
- In 2022, the city replaced 26 hydrants while it installed one hydrant in the agri-food industrial park
- In 2023, the municipality installed 20 units
- In 2024, the city replaced 11 hydrants
City hall said by email that it conducted the UDF program in 2024, while it plans to include a create order system when it implements a fleet and asset management software program in 2025-26. Moreover, it performs and completes hydrant inspections in priority with other operational needs.
The email noted that, since the council meeting, the municipality had added three more hydrants to its list of inoperable infrastructure items for a total of 33.
The hydrants out of order include Cordova and Langdon, Grafton Avenue and Saskatchewan Street, Wellington Drive and Arlington Drive, 1355 11th Avenue Southwest, 11th Avenue Northeast and Stadacona Street East, Montgomery Street and Ninth Avenue Northwest, Stadacona Street West and 15th Avenue Northwest, MacDonald Street and Third Avenue Northwest, 11th Avenue Northeast and Fairford Street East, and Caribou Street East and Fifth Avenue Northeast.
Further, 400 Fairford Street West intermediate, 1241 Pascoe Street, 39 Thatcher Drive East (Devo’s Car Wash), 23 Thatcher Drive East (Peavey Mart), 355 River Drive, Fourth and Couteau, 1136 Maier Drive, 1619 Botting Bay, 1303 Simcoe Street, Duffield Street West and Sixth Street Southwest, Ninth Avenue Northeast and Oxford Street East, Third Avenue and MacDonald Street, Sixth Avenue Northeast and Caribou Street Northeast, 15th Avenue Northwest and Stadacona Street West, 10th Avenue and Caribou Street, Fourth Avenue and Hochelaga Street West, and Main Street and Stadacona Street.
Also, First Avenue Northeast and River Street East, Fourth Avenue Northwest and Manitoba Street West, 1566 Grace Street, 880 Lillooet Street West, Stadacona Street West and First Avenue Northwest and 1260 Grace Street.
“One thing to note is the fire department is prepared if a hydrant fails (because fire) crews travel with 1,000 feet of hose to be able to access another hydrant,” the email added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 24.
