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Fountain Square neighbors concerned about gushing hydrant

Posted at 8:41 AM, Nov 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-21 14:35:04-05

INDIANAPOLIS — For months, during the daytime or nighttime, water has been gushing from a hose connected to a fire hydrant in Fountain Square.

The hydrant is located on the corner of Fletcher Avenue and Harlan Street. And people who live nearby have questions.

"Who is going to be paying for this?" Wanda Cochran said. "Who's responsible and why is water being wasted like that?"

Cochran is one of several neighbors who have taken to social media, posting pictures of the hydrant and hose. She's wondering why so much water is being wasted, what will happen to the brick on the street and why the hose is blocking part of the street.

"The other night we came through here, it was ice," Cochran said. "We got people that come through here on bikes and Lime scooters and Bird scooters. If they don't see it, they're going to slip and get injured. And then who's responsible?"

A nearby sign provides a clue as to who is responsible. The sign reads, "Water testing in progress. Do not disturb." with the Citizens Energy logo. It's unclear to the neighbors what Citizens Energy is testing, or why it's necessary to test the water since mid-summer.

Citizens Energy said it's called a "water quality bleed," a process to make sure the water quality is maintained. 

"This particular area has experienced changes in water usage over the years to the point that we need to periodically run hydrants to prevent stagnation in the water mains in the area. The long-term remedy will be making piping modifications, but that is a much more expensive alternative than running hydrants during certain parts of the year," Citizens Energy said in a statement. 

The bleed will end either later this month or in late December.

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