Special Ops
Hydrants & Water Supply
Hydrant color coding (body, top, cap), gate pot covers, water distribution zones, and the Humat 4-way.
01
Hydrant Body Colors (Owner)
White
EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utility District)
Yellow
Military
Green
Airport (Salt Water) and Regional Parks
Red
Private and EBMUD suction hydrants (approx. 16 in the city)
Purple
Non-potable water (used for irrigation)
02
Top Colors (Volume GPM)
Red
0 - 500 gpm
Orange
501 - 999 gpm
Green
1,000 - 1,499 gpm
Blue
1,500+ gpm
03
Cap Colors (Pressure PSI)
Red
0 - 50 psi
White
51 - 119 psi
Green
120+ psi
04
Gate Pot Covers
Red
Closed Zone Valve
Blue
Open Valve
White
Hydrant Gate Valve
Most gate valves in the system open in a clockwise direction.
05
Oakland Water Distribution
- Most common hydrants and all white or unmarked hydrants are "green top, white cap" hydrants.
- There are approximately 6,500 hydrants in the city of Oakland.
- Water distribution is divided into 25 pressure zones and 8 regulator zones (33 total).
- 4 zones are supplied by gravity supplemented by storage.
- 8 zones are supplied by regulator valves alone.
- 21 zones are supplied by pumps with equalizing storage.
06
Hydrant Bucket Contents
- Locking cap hydrant spanner
- Hydrant spanner
- Pipe wrench
- 5 lb. mallet
- "Cheater" bar
- 2 1/2" to 4 1/2" increaser
- 3" to 2 1/2" reducer
- 2 1/2" double female
- Canvas bucket