AWWA COMMENT PERIOD ON AWWA C502, Dry-Barrel Fire Hydrants

AWWA COMMENT PERIOD ON AWWA C502, Dry-Barrel Fire Hydrants
May 20, 2024

AWWA solicits public comments on all proposed new AWWA Standards, and on all proposed revisions, reaffirmations, or withdrawals of existing AWWA Standards. The referenced standards project is being considered for approval and the publication of this notice begins the 45-day public comment period for AWWA and ANSI. An electronic public review copy of the proposed standard can be obtained for review during the comment period by emailing ETS Support (ETSsupport@awwa.org). Comments must be submitted in writing to the AWWA contact listed below no later than the last day of the comment period specified herein. Such comments shall be specific to the section(s) of the standard under review and include sufficient detail, so as to enable the reader to understand the commenter’s position, concerns and suggested alternative language, if appropriate.

AWWA Comment Period closes on July 8, 2024.

Send comments to:
Amanda Dail, ADail@awwa.org
303.734.3466 phone

The review copy will be edited for publication and may also be revised as appropriate based on any comments received during the public comment period. Therefore, this copy is not suitable for continued utilization and is intended only for comment purposes.

Final publication of the standard may take several months. When it is available, a notice will be published in the official notice section of Journal – American Water Works Association. The standard becomes an effective AWWA standard on the first day of the month following such publication in Journal – American Water Works Association.

SCOPE
This standard describes post-type, dry-barrel fire hydrants with compression shutoff (opening against or with the pressure) or gate shutoff for use in fire protection service in all climates, including those where freezing occurs.

MAJOR REVISIONS
Major changes made to the standard in this revision include the following:

1. A new section on Smart Water Hydrant Features was added to the Foreword (Sec. II.D.).
2. A new section on Alternative Materials for Accessory Features was added to allow for technology features and alternate materials that do not negatively impact the fire protection function of the hydrant (Sec. 4.4.1.1).
3. Minimum yield strength and elongation were added for ductile iron (Sec. 4.4.2.2).
4. Revised the 25 μm limit for ISO 6509 testing to 100 μm to align with ANSI/AWWA C515 and ANSI/AWWA C509 (Sec. 4.4.2.4.3).
5. The bonnet design and operating nut sections were revised to clarify that tampering prevention is relative to operating the hydrant (Sec. 4.6.1 and Sec. 4.6.4.5).
6. A new section was added to clarify the diameter that should be used for determining minimum wall thickness when the hydrant has non-uniform dimensions, or the top is not circular (Sec. 4.6.2.1.1).
7. Removed references to caulked-in nozzles, as these are no longer used (Sec. 4.6.3.1). Added new paragraph to Foreword (Sec. II.A.) to reference this historical design feature.
8. Deleted the following references to stuffing box stem seals and packing glands, as this seal type is no longer used: packing glands (Sec. 4.1), Packing glands, Packing gland bushings, and Stuffing boxes (Table 2), glands, gland bushings (4.5.3.1), gland and stuffing box parts of made of copper alloy (entire Sec. 4.5.3.2), packing plate (Sec. 4.5.4), Packing Glands and Packing Gland Bolts (entire Sec. 4.9 and all subsections), and Stuffing box seals (entire Sec. 4.10.3 and all subsections). Section 4 was renumbered accordingly. Added new paragraph to Foreword (Sec. II.A.) to reference this historical design feature.