ICBC will be footing the bill for a Sept. 18 crash on 40 Avenue that saw an SUV sever a fire hydrant and send a torrent of water gushing into the street.
Roeland Zwaag, the Township Public Works director, said the cost of repairing a severed fire hydrant usually runs around $3,000, but crews were able to keep costs to about $500.
“We were quite fortunate to be able to complete a repair using spare parts the Township keeps on hand,” Zwaag said.
“[So] there was no need to excavate or replace the entire fire hydrant.”
He added the hydrant on 40 Avenue near 200 Street was an older ‘slide gate’ type, which allows a large volume of water to escape when severed.
Zwaage said newer hydrants are of a ‘compression’ design that has a puck at the base to keeps the hydrant sealed by water pressure if it gets hit.
Zwaag said accidents involving vehicles and fire hydrants were “infrequent” but when they occur, the Township routinely files a claim with the auto insurer.
No serious injuries were reported in the crash last Thursday morning (Sept. 18), around 8 a.m.
