After some planning and waiting for funding approval the Region of Queens Municipality finally ‘installed’ our FoxCreek Community dry fire hydrant*) today, Thursday, 26-May-2022.

The hydrant is located at the Old Kettle Rd turnaround across from civic 612 and replaces the old, defunct hydrant located a little ways before the paving.   The latter was out of service for years and did not serve our community at all.

On low tide you will see the suction pipe running  into the creek in a shallow angle to draw water. This setup was chosen to avoid costly drilling and still be able to pick up water on a low tide.

*) Dry fire hydrant
A dry fire hydrant is a non-pressurized pipe system permanently installed in a water source such as lakes, streams or ponds that permits the withdrawal of water by drafting from a fire truck to provide a reliable water source for fire suppression close to the incident.

The Mill Village & District Fire Department twice an year (Spring/Fall) flushes all hydrants to make sure they are operational when needed. A fire truck will connect to the hydrant and instead of drawing water, will push water out into the pipe and the creek, therefore 'blowing off' all debris, rocks, mud, seaweed, etc. that might have collected around the water inlet (strainer) during the tides.

PS: Check your home insurance policy or with your home insurer. You might be eligible for a deduction on your premium.