By Borys Krawczeniuk
The Times-Tribune
SCRANTON, Pa. — The water company wants people to stop messing with fire hydrants.
After fielding dozens of calls in the last month from customers irate about dirty water or low water pressure, Pennsylvania American Water Co. officials want citizens to report if they see anyone who fiddles with hydrants who isn’t a firefighter or a company worker.
“We need customers to call us,” company spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich said.
The number is 800-565-7292.
Theft of water and tampering with the operation of a public water system are crimes.
Citizens easily can identify Pennsylvania American workers and trucks by their insignias and clothing, Ms. Turcmanovich said.
Water company officials suspect paving companies or other contractors that use a lot of water tap into hydrants, she said. That leads to customer complaints because most contractors don’t know how to properly open hydrants without a major drop in water pressure, she said.
Regularly, she said, company staffers follow up on complaints only to find the company had nothing going on in the neighborhood from where the complaints came.
The company permits contractors to use hydrants with advance notice and its help and gives them portable meters to measure water usage.
Copyright 2016 The Times-Tribune