During the water supply survey, a field representative will interview the official responsible for the water department, water utility, or private water companies that supply the community. The representative will also:
- review various documents and records
- evaluate all pump facilities
- determine needed fire flow and hydrant test locations
- obtain hydrant flow-test results or hydraulic modeled flow-test data
- determine frequency of hydrant inspection and flow-testing programs
- examine representative hydrants
Here’s what you can expect:
Interview
Our field representative will review details and records of all water supply facilities and operations. The representative will examine a current water utility map to identify the locations of:
- new and existing supply or storage facilities
- mains
- pressure zones or service levels
- closed or check valves
- hydrants
- new streets
Pump facilities
Our field representative will review all pump facilities to examine the water pumping equipment.
Needed fire flows
We will select buildings of various sizes and hazard classifications throughout the community. We will develop needed fire flows for those buildings and use the information to assess water availability and delivery for your community. We have prepared a guide to estimating needed fire flow. The publication requires knowledge and experience in fire protection engineering for its effective application. You can download a copy of the Guide for Determination of Needed Fire Flow.
Hydrant flow tests
To determine the adequacy of the water supply, we evaluate the results of hydrant flow tests at selected locations. We will select the locations considering:
- geographic layout of the community
- topographical differences (elevation changes)
- service levels or pressure zones
- the range of needed fire flows for the buildings in the community
Hydrants
Our field representative will review the hydrant inspection and flow-testing programs, as well as the records of those programs.