Missouri American Water Paints Hydrants in St. Louis County

More than 1,000 fire hydrants across St. Louis County received a fresh coat of paint as Missouri American Water invests in infrastructure maintenance.

Missouri American Water’s efforts in St. Louis County included repainting 106 hydrants in Normandy, 243 in Maplewood, 303 in Bellefontaine Neighbors and 406 in Crestwood, MO.

“Since our pipes are buried beneath the ground, fire hydrants are one of the most visible parts of our water system,” said Bethany Jenkins, Operations Supervisor of Restoration for Missouri American Water. “We not only want to improve the appearance of old hydrants, but also help firefighters work swiftly during an emergency. The different colors painted on fire hydrants allow our first responders know how much water comes out of the hydrant.”

The hydrant painting process involves sandblasting to remove the old paint, priming the hydrant, which is white, then returning days later to apply a fresh coat of paint to the hydrant to meet the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) standards.

The NFPA’s standardized hydrant color coding signifies fire flow, or the quantity of water available for fire protection. Missouri American Water urges customers to notify them of any beautification and maintenance requests.

“Fire hydrants may seem like minor parts of a water system; however, they act as a coding system for our firefighters. It helps us put out fires quickly and efficiently,” said Chief Keith Goldstein of North County Fire & Rescue Fire Protection District.

Missouri American Water
Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.5 million people.

With a history dating to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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