Purple Hydrants for Recycled Water

CREST HAVEN — Ever saw a purple cow? How about a purple fire hydrant?
Purple hydrants have sprouted up throughout the Crest Haven Complex, and they will likely been seen in the County Park and Zoo, and eventually by Atlantic Cape Community College and Middle Township’s Davies Recreation Complex.
It’s no joke. They are outlets for the county MUA water reuse project, part of a $2.5-million project, funded in part by the state Department of Environmental Protection to recycle highly-purified wastewater that will be diverted from ocean dispersion, and used for irrigation purposes, at the County Park Zoo to wash animal cages, and at Middle Township Davies Recreation Complex athletic fields.
The hydrants can be seen on Moore Road in front of the Cape May County Technical School, near Crest Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Health Department, and elsewhere.
The project, which closed part of Crest Haven Road between Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway in July, will be completed in phases.
Mention of the purple hydrants was made at the district’s Board of Education meeting on Sept. 15 by James Owens, director of the Techincal School District’s building and grounds.
He estimated connection would be made in about a month.
The color is not painted on a whim.
NFPA standards require that private hydrants placed on or near public streets be painted a color that will distinguish them from public hydrants.
Furthermore OSHA standards require sources of non-potable water be painted violet.
See related story: www.capemaycountyherald.com/node/54743