Last five posts from the CHAT-M-Room (Town Common) are:

the good news is it was shut off yesterday. Looks like the fire department may have done it as the coupling valve and hose were left there and the hydrant was just capped off.

Bill, maybe....but if they were doing so they should have told us Thursday when we called. Instead, they thanked us for the reminder and said they'd get someone out there to shut it off. Of course, maybe the person with whom we spoke didn't know.

Not mad or angry as these things happen. I can see this as a simple oversight. Where the frustration comes in is when you call and remind them and it is ignored or disregarded; then you call the fire department and they ignore or disregard it. It seemed only to get resolved when people start noticing and talking about it here and on the local Facebook page.

Again, NOT "blaming" anyone as this stuff happens. I can see how that would be an easy thing to forget after a long day. Just might want to double check the systems and processes when a limited commodity (water) is involved.
Jim
USA - Mon 06/22/2026 - 05:30:07
The water department has someone on call. No excuses.

It is possible if this was coming from the Indian hill rd well they wanted it to run.
Bill P
Chatham, MA USA - Sun 06/21/2026 - 18:21:25
Jim, please collect the requisite signatures for a citizen's petition to get an article placed on next year's town meeting to compel town staff to shut down the hydrant.
Jared Fulcher <meadowbrook155@yahoo.com>
Chatham, MA USA - Sat 06/20/2026 - 16:09:59
Gentlemen
Sounds to me that all three towns have issues. Orleans with appropriating funds for a new firehose "on the fly" of a new firehouse- Chatham with their select board with conflict of interest and cost overruns, and Harwich actual caught with a violation of the sunshine laws. These samples of actions, do no actual project any kind of trust in their "systems". I guess this is how business is conducted in the region

Now you have the state coming to fix Crowel Rd. Is or was this one of those invented problems that need fixing. How about spending a few bucks to determine what's causing the polution issue where clamin is concerned
Alan
USA - Sat 06/20/2026 - 13:16:08
K, here's a good one for the water "restrictions:" Walking the dogs Thursday and we see they are purging the hydrant north of the animal control building on George Ryder. A large hose running into the woods zip-tied to a tree and pouring a LOT of water into the woods. Walk back there that afternoon and it is STILL pouring water into the woods. Met a lady that said it had been that way since Wed. morning. So...call the water company and they thanked us for the reminder and said they'd have someone come and shut it off.

Fast forward to Friday morning: walking the dogs and the water is still shooting off into the woods. Ok....call the water department and, of course, it is Juneteenth so they are off for the long weekend. So I call the ops-desk at the fire department and let them know they have a hydrant full blasting into the woods and will keep doing so until Monday if they don't go shut it off. They said they'd "look into it."

This morning walking up there and....of course....it's still shooting into the woods. Call the ops-desk at the fire department and they say it "is a water department issue." Well....."yeah," but the water department is on a long weekend.

Maybe there's a good reason when under water restrictions to allow a hydrant to full-flow into the woods for five days over a long weekend; maybe not.

As for me I'll be washing my car and watering my flowers and not worrying about it if we have this kind of water to waste.
Jim
USA - Sat 06/20/2026 - 11:29:56