1 North Plum Street, Germantown, OH 45327 | (937) 855-7255

Fire Hydrant and Valve Replacement Project Provides Overall Safety for Germantown

Aging infrastructure is a common issue among older communities. Our Service Department works tirelessly in Germantown to improve our infrastructure, but water, sewers and streets can be very expensive. With the assistance of grants and low interest loans, we are able to make strategic improvements in our systems. In 2021, a review of the fire department hydrant inspection reports revealed that twenty-four fire hydrants were in need of replacement. Of those identified, the majority are 98 years of age with others at least 49 years old. At this point, the City began seeking funding for fire hydrant and valve replacement funding. We were fortunate enough to have been approved for a low interest loan in the amount of $489,490.00 through a Division of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Loans for water and sewer projects are repaid through the water and sewer utility customer fees.

The City of Germantown will begin the Fire Hydrant and Valve Replacement Project in the spring of 2024. This project consists of replacing fire hydrants and aging water and main line valves.

The project will improve the overall safety of our community. Primarily, the new hydrants and valves will eliminate critical time lost at fire scenes when firefighters are spending time searching, locating and connecting hoses to operable fire hydrants. Time is of the essence and even a few minute delay can contribute to a fire growing much larger in size.

In addition, the new hydrants are designed with breakaway barrels. The breakaway barrels are devised to cause significantly less property damage and personal injury in the event of a collision as well as reduce the amount of water loss to the water system.

Our goal is to stay proactive, always looking for ways to improve our infrastructure. There are over 300 fire hydrants in the City. Under general maintenance, our service department typically replaces two hydrants per year. Planning for future fire hydrant projects will be based on the results of the annual fire hydrant inspection reports.