Vandals tamper with Arcadia hydrants
By Donna Comella

The government has warned that tampering with a fire hydrant could be considered a terrorist act and should be taken quite seriously.

Last week, a Town of Arcadia fire hydrant at the corner of Fairville Station and Heidenreich Roads was opened and left to run for perhaps five to six hours before it was discovered. According to Supervisor Joe DeSanto, five or six other hydrants have been opened by vandals in recent weeks. The seriousness of this is apparent if you consider that the water could have washed the road out and caused an auto accident; or that a fire in the area could have resulted in loss of property and/or lives. The other consideration is that government officials have been alerted that fire hydrant tampering is one way terrorists could contaminate local water supplies.

When homeland security became a concern after the events of September 11, sabotage of water and wastewater systems became an issue for emergency planners. And although no one believes that Arcadia's water system is being marked by terrorists, people should be made aware of how serious this offense could be.

Because they are placed in such rural areas, the outlying fire hydrants are easy targets for teen pranksters. DeSanto says that anybody who endangers water, property and lives, is 'no different' than any other terrorist, and that jail time associated with the act could be considerable if it cost a life.

Officials are estimating that the recent acts of vandalism wasted at least 25,000 gallons of water, and say that the final number could be as high as 75,000 gallons. The water is also being calculated as a loss of revenue for the Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority, which provides the water to the town. Although figures vary for each of Arcadia's Water Districts, the loss is no less than $1/per 1000 gallons.

DeSanto said that other costs to taxpayers will be the time of the Highway crew to repair ditches and roadways.

With about 140 hydrants in the town (outside the village), DeSanto asks that all residents make themselves aware of the hydrants in their area and report any suspicious activity.

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