How Arlington Keeps Its 12,000 Fire Hydrants Emergency-Ready

Published on June 10, 2025

By Mike Secrest, Office of Communication

When a fire breaks out, every second counts—and that includes knowing that water will flow when firefighters open a hydrant. That’s why the City of Arlington conducts annual fire hydrant testing citywide.

In our latest “On the Clock,” Arlington City Manager Trey Yelverton heads into a neighborhood with the Arlington Fire Department to test the City’s fire hydrants to make sure they are ready.

The City of Arlington has approximately 12,000 fire hydrants, with about 10,000 that are owned and maintained by the City and the rest of which are privately owned.  Crews from the Arlington Fire Department and Water Utilities work together to inspect and test each hydrant annually across our 99-square-mile city.

When city crews are testing, sometimes they need the water to flow for a couple of minutes or more. That may appear to be wasteful, but it has a purpose, Arlington Fire Lt. Adam Evans said.

“We like to flow the hydrants until we get clear water,” Evans said. “Sometimes that may take us actively flowing these hydrants for a few minutes, which to the citizens may look wasteful, that we’re wasting water. The purpose is to make sure we have everything out of those lines, that everything is operating properly and that we have sufficient amount of water where we need it.”

To watch more “On the Clock” episodes to learn more about how Arlington city employees work for you, please visit the City of Arlington’s YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/CityofArlington