Kim Dalton

Fire hydrants have cooled off hot summer days in public housing sites for years, but the water company says that’s no longer allowed.

“It’s an issue of homeland security and it could compromise the integrity of the water supply,” said Kim Dalton, Tennessee-American Water’s external affairs manager.

The water company changed its policy so the only people allowed to turn on fire hydrants are members of the Chattanooga Fire Department and Tennessee-American employees.

“Homeland security made it a law,” Ms. Dalton said. “The water in the hydrant is the same as drinking water and it can be contaminated. We ask people that if they see anyone fooling with the hydrants to let us know.”

An unauthorized operator could damage the hydrant and using water for play could limit the water available in case of a fire, she said.

An employee of Tennessee American raised the issue after seeing a picture in Tuesday’s Times Free Press of children playing in water from a fire hydrant along 49th Street.

Chattanooga Housing Authority officials said it is not their policy to turn on the hydrants and they doubt if a public housing employee turned on the hydrant in the photo.

“There is a difference in people willfully doing something and CHA having a policy to do it,” CHA spokesman Bill Lord said.

Any resident could have turned on the hydrant, Mr. Lord said.

Bruce Garner, spokesman for the Chattanooga Fire Department, said no firefighter would have turned on the hydrant.

“We only use it when we need it for fires,” he said.

Ms. Dalton said unauthorized use of the fire hydrant is considered vandalism and can result in criminal and civil action.

Lutena Lewis, a former president of Cromwell Hills Apartments, said she’s sad to hear about the restrictions.

“The children are going to miss it,” she said. “Look how hot it’s been already.”