Washoe County engineering officials told the Sun Valley Citizens Advisory Board on March 3 that the county owns fire hydrants located in county rights-of-way and is responsible for both routine upkeep and major repairs, while private hydrants and those on private streets remain the property owner's responsibility.

The county’s director of engineering, Dwayne Smith, said Washoe County “owns all the fire items that are located within Washoe County right away,” and that the agency tracks the assets in a GIS-based asset-management system. Smith said Washoe County maintains about 4,000 fire items in unincorporated areas and that Sun Valley contains roughly 400 of those assets.

Smith described two maintenance tiers: minor maintenance such as bonnet lubrication, barrel draining and accessibility checks, and major maintenance including excavation and pipe replacement when hydrants are struck or the lateral fails. “Sometimes we actually have to get in to cut up the streets and replace that pipe,” he said.

Chris Dalton, general manager of the Sun Valley General Improvement District, explained the water supply that feeds hydrants in the valley. “We purchase all of our water wholesale through, from Truckee Meadows, Water Authority,” Dalton said, and he described two wholesale connections into the district and on‑site pump storage and tanks. He added the district has about 4,500 gallons per minute of supply available and “over 9,000,000 gallons of fire storage throughout the valley with 9 tanks.”

James Celero of the local fire protection agency gave a February operations summary before the hydrant discussion, reporting that the district responded to 51 medical calls and three fires that month.

Residents asked how long a tagged or out‑of‑service hydrant might remain unserviced. Smith replied that response time depends on the type of damage, available crews and parts: “I can't give you a specific. I can't I would never say that we're gonna be out there in 24 hours or or or 72 hours. I can't make that kind of commitment.” He said the county prioritizes hydrants that are inoperable and marked them in the field when necessary.

Smith repeatedly asked residents to report hydrant leaks, suspected hits or other problems through Washoe County’s 311 service. “Call 311,” he said. “There’s a group of people … and then they make sure that the right person gets that call and is able to, provide that answer.”

County staff also described common local practices and clarifications that came up in questions: colored paint on a hydrant barrel helps corrosion and visibility maintenance but does not change the hydrant’s ownership; a white bonnet generally indicates a private hydrant; and the International Fire Code requires about a three‑foot clearance around a hydrant so crews can operate fittings.

Officials said most hydrants are installed as part of new development and inspected during construction. They noted coordination among Washoe County, Sun Valley GID, Truckee Meadows Water Authority and the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District is essential to maintain flow, pressure and access.

Residents raised related concerns during the meeting — including visibility and clearing of hydrants in winter and the importance of not parking in front of hydrants — and county and GID staff said they would follow up on individual reports.

Why it matters: operable hydrants, sufficient flow and clear access are central to local firefighting capability. The county emphasized asset tracking, prioritization of inoperable hydrants and the public’s role in reporting visible problems.

The county encouraged residents with leaks, visible flow, or suspected hydrant hits to call 311 so the concern is logged and routed.

Ending: Washoe County and Sun Valley GID staff said they will continue to coordinate asset management and maintenance and asked residents to report problems through 311 so crews can prioritize repairs.