In an attempt to beat heat that was downright abusive this weekend, over 200 fire hydrants were opened illegally in New York City. Not only is opening hydrants the wrong way a huge safety risk, it's a tremendous waste of water: hydrants release 1,000 gallons of water per minute. This leads to decreased water pressure, which is very bad news should anyone ever need to really beat the heat and put out a fire.
While the Department of Environmental Protection doesn't advise anyone to open a fire hydrant, they do say the best way to do it is with a safety cap. This alters the flow of the water and only releases about 20 to 25 gallons of water. Just know that opening a fire hydrant carries a 30-day prison sentence or a $1,000 fine. Is short-term relief worth long term damage?
[via Gothamist]
