In July 2009, Clow Valve Company (Clow) found inoperable fire hydrants in Iowa; upper stem

State	Number of Unidentified Hydrants
Arizona	1331
Arkansas	2030
California	1432
Florida	2583
Georgia	3491
Illinois	2947
Kansas	1116
Louisiana	1156
Michigan	1063
Missouri	1023
Nevada	1043
North Carolina	1503
Ohio	1447
Oklahoma	1607
Tennessee	1387
Texas	5984
Washington	1859

 assemblies were corroded. The recent finding is part of a larger nationwide replacement program which began in 2006.  Today, it is possible that a number of fire hydrants in communities throughout the U.S. are similarly inoperable.
      Medallion and F2500 fire hydrants with cast years of 2002, 2003, and 2004 require immediate attention.  According to Clow, calcium acetate found in the grease of these hydrants causes corrosion over time potentially rendering these hydrants inoperable. The Oskaloosa, Iowa-based company believes that affected hydrants still remain in every state. Seventeen states (see chart right) have more than 1,000 unidentified, including Texas with nearly 6,000 remaining.
     “Clow is committed to finding and replacing the upper stem of each hydrant affected,” said Mike Vore, national sales manager of Clow Valve Company. “We ask community leaders to join our commitment to safety and act today.”
     The public can visit www.clowvalve.com for information including details to determine if local hydrants have been repaired, or call 800-829-2569 to schedule a replacement.  A contractor will be provided free of charge to perform the replacement or, for municipalities handling repairs internally, Clow will provide free parts along with a labor allowance for each stem returned.
    The company has located and replaced more than 75,000 of approximately 113,000 fire hydrants affected nationwide since issuing its first of four safety notices to water and fire departments across the United States since 2006.  Clow noted that affected fire hydrants may have been installed after the initial notification in 2006 as hydrants sold to distributors can remain on hand for some time.

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