Hydrant Meter Program

Once the deposit and application fee are paid, and the Hydrant Meter Agreement has been received, a hydrant meter will be installed by a City employee at the fire hydrant location requested. The City employee will close the valve on the meter and open the fire hydrant. DO NOT operate the fire hydrant to control the volume of water.  Use the gate valve on the meter to control the volume of water.

When finished with the hydrant meter, call 541-481-9252 to have the meter removed and a final reading taken. It is the responsibility of each customer to protect the hydrant meter from damage or theft.

When the hydrant is open and the meter valve is closed, the hydrant base is constantly filled with water. In freezing weather, this could damage the hydrant and the meter. It is the responsibility of the contractor to close the hydrant and open the gate valve to drain the water from the meter when it is not in use. A hydrant wrench is the only acceptable tool to operate a hydrant.

When the hydrant needs to be shut off, do it slowly. Closing a hydrant too fast may cause a water hammer. When opening the hydrant, it must be opened all the way. Using a hydrant in a half-opened position will cause damage to the hydrant weeps and may cause flooding around the hydrant.

The applicant will be responsible for any damage done to the hydrant meter and/or the City of Boardman’s water distribution system caused by the abuse, vandalism, neglect, or misuse of the hydrant meter. A few examples are, but not limited to, breaking the hydrant stem by using too much torque, not using a hydrant wrench, damage to weep holes, breaking any part of the meter/hydrant

Costs associated with damage will be billed to the applicant by the City and could result in the denial of future use of a hydrant meter. The applicant should remove and secure the hydrant meter nightly for protection. All roadways and road shoulders shall be returned to the conditions they were in before the fire hydrant usage by the customer. The City reserves the right to shut down any customer's usage of the fire hydrant if damaging or unsafe practices are observed.  Persons caught taking water from fire hydrants, curb stops, or other water valves without proper authorization or metering are subject to criminal prosecution.