PVE Community Newsletter

Serving Lunada Bay, Malaga Cove, Montemalaga and Valmonte

PVE Hydrants Not Tested or Maintained

THE STANDARD:

CalWater claims AWWA standards are followed which requires hydrant flushing and pressure testing for both wet and dry barrel hydrants. County Fire is responsible (POLICY CONTRACT) for testing and creating the maintenance requests when a hydrant fails, so CalWater is notified to fix it.

The City acknowledged they have no records of pressure testing or maintenance, both of which are necessary to comply with AWWA standards.

1. COUNTY FIRE informed Council hydrant testing was discontinued in 2010.

2. Now, County Fire only conducts an “inspection” which excludes pressure testing and flushing POLICY, reflecting substandard performance on County Fire’s CONTRACT with PVE, and non-compliance with AWWA standards.

3. 12 hydrants failed to pass County Fire’s 2025 inspection. County admits no maintenance requests were issued as required by their policy IV.G.3.b

4. Prior to 2025, NONE of the hydrant inspections were marked as passed/failed, and NO maintenance requests were issued. Inspection reports: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.

5. PVE’s hydrant inventory is substantially incomplete (see below)

   LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED

THE COUNCIL IS ACCOUNTABLE

Council is ultimately accountable to ensure:

1. Fire Safety Services are provided: including functioning hydrants

2. Public utilities provide required services: which includes County Fire and CalWater

3. Contracts are fulfilled: yet, County Fire is not pressure testing hydrants

Lack of hydrant pressure testing and maintenance reflects non-compliance of contracted services and AWWA hydrant standards which led to a resident requested investigation:

The Investigation is authorized by The Powers and Duties of the City Manager (CODE), " 12. To investigate all complaints in relation to matters concerning the administration of the city government and in regard to the service maintained by public utilities in the city"  as stated in code/law section 2.08.050.12.

The State of CA requires cities to provide fire safety services.

Yet, the City admits there are no records of pressure testing or hydrant maintenance, which is required per fire safety standards

When city officials claim VIDEO the hydrants are tested, but admit no records exist, they are culpable

MORE PROOF OF HYDRANT NEGLECT

Pictured below are some of the hydrants MISSING from PVE’s own inventory. Many are leaking.

1. Upper Paseo La Cresta

2. Another on Upper Paseo La Cresta

3. Upper Paseo La Cresta

4. Corner of Via Visalia and Via Margarita

5. 1608 Via Cataluna

6. Corner of Via Gabriel and Via Rafael

   Note: This is one of PVE’s Dry Barrel Hydrants (nut to open value on top)

7. Upper Paseo La Cresta, south of Via Fernandez

8. Lower Paseo La Cresta, south of Via Fernandez

9. Cataluna Plaza on Granvia Altamira

10. Corner of Via Margarita and Via Cerritos

11. Via Mirabel cul de sac: click on picture for video of leaking

12. Paseo La Cresta between Via Fernandez and NY Hill

13. (not pictured) Three corroded hydrants on the south side of Via Visalia between Via Fernandez and Via Margarita

Also, these show many years of cumulative corrosion, because County Fire is not sanding and repainting as required by their own maintenance Policy.

PVE’s HYDRANT INVENTORY IS INCOMPLETE

Above are just some of the hydrants reported missing.

Council spent $200,000+ to get GIS locations of every tree in the city, rather than locating and thus requiring hydrant maintenance

Is OUR safety truly a priority?

LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED FOR CRITICAL SAFETY

The City’s corrective actions:

City’s needs to hold a meeting with CalWater and County Fire to discuss the non-compliance of AWWA standards and seek dates of compliance. County Fire should be held to their contract requirements with PVE to pressure test the hydrants and hydrants need to be fixed.

• Correct the city-wide hydrant inventory with GIS locations identified

• Map the GIS locations to affirm all homes have an assigned hydrant

• Flush and Pressure test the hydrants and affirm water can reach assigned homes

• Submit maintenance requests (Form 21) to fix defects and complete repairs

• Commit to following AWWA standards and proper follow-up

AGING HYDRANT’S RATE OF MALFUNCTION

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) statistics: LINK

• Hydrants over 50 years old average a 18% rate of failure in emergencies. [this assumes hydrants are tested and maintained, but PVE hydrants receive neither]

• Hydrants between 30 and 40 years have a 12% rate of failure

• The average lifespan of a fire hydrant is estimated to be 50 years, yet many municipalities [like PVE] are using hydrants well beyond this recommended time frame.

As hydrants age, their reliability decreases significantly, putting lives and property at risk

CA rates PVE a “Very High Fire Zone”