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Adams Morgan Fire Hydrant Debate Continues

AMID THE BICKERING between D.C. fire officials and the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority over the inadequate water pressure firefighters had to deal with when fighting a fierce blaze in Adams Morgan earlier this month comes this nugget: water officials have said that as crews stretched fire hoses to far-off Woodley Park and 16th Street NW in search of appropriate pressure, two hydrants situated 600 feet from the fire that could have supplied the necessary water weren't tapped.

As The Post's Elissa Silverman reported on Saturday, firefighters chose not to try the hydrant at Columbia Road and 18th Street NW:

Firefighters decided not to use the Columbia Road hydrant because they were drawing water from another one directly across 18th Street, Assistant Fire Chief Lawrence Schultz said. An assumption was made that the two hydrants were connected to the same main and that hooking up both would lessen water flow, he said.

Maps of the water system show the hydrants are connected to separate mains.

D.C. fire officials say they often must consult outdated and hard-to-read maps to determine where to access the water they need. They want WASA to color-code its hydrants to indicate the size of the main they're attached to.

» "Nearby Hydrant Wasn't Tapped in Condo Fire" [WaPo]

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