About 25,000 gallons of water went into the storm drains Monday after a car hit a fire hydrant near the Facey urgent care facility in Valencia and sent a gusher of water into the air, above the tops of towering trees.
The single-vehicle crash happened about 1:30 p.m. on McBean Parkway just west of Valencia Boulevard, by the medical center’s parking lot.
No one was reported to have been injured in the crash.
The sedan that sheared the hydrant and released the pressurized water ended up on a bushy embankment by the sidewalk.
Firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, with the help of Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency workers, were able to stop the release of water within five minutes, said SCV Water spokeswoman Kathie Martin.
It’s not the first time the hydrant has been hit and water released.
Asked about the location of the hydrant, Keith Abercrombie, chief operating officer of SCV Water, said: “Hydrants are placed according to approved location maps by the Fire Department.
“Sometimes we can place barricade posts to protect hydrants especially in certain parking areas, but that option isn’t available for curbside hydrants like the one in question,” he said.
“It is worth a look at this location given its history, and we will look into any options for protecting it,” he said.
661-287-5527
On Twitter @jamesarthurholt
