Random Late Night Fire Hydrant Work, Prior to the Chicago Blizzard


Late last night (around 12:30 AM), I noticed some flashing lights form the street. At first, we thought it was a snow plow… but they seemed to linger right by our house.

On going to the window, I spotted a Chicago Water Management truck, parked outside. I actually went out on my front porch to watch, and saw a guy slowly opening up the fire hydrant a bit – enough that a small spray of water shot out (that’s the dark area in the street, behind that car).

It seemed like a strange thing to do so late at night. I knew we were slated to get a ton of snow tomorrow, so I wasn’t sure if this was some kind of preventative measure.


After going back inside, I watched from the window a bit. The same guy who opened up the hydrant used some kind of spigot thing, where he looked to be pumping out small squirts of water. I watched this for a few minutes, before heading back to bed. It was the weirdest thing.

I’ve lived in Chicago a long while now, and this was a total first for me. Anyone have any idea what this work was all about?

A part of me really regrets not throwing on my coat and some shoes, and going out there to talk to those guys – to find out more about what they were doing and why. But I ended up going back to bed, as I had to get up early in the AM to clear the car for Liz. Hopefully I find out what these guys were doing!

Related:
To Drink Or Not To Drink
Chris Satisfies a Boyhood Urge to Drink from a Hydrant
On the Way to Work

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