Rachel Carson, owner of Car Tune, 1501 U.S. 31-W By-Pass, placed a sign near a leaky fire hydrant at the intersection of 15th Avenue and U.S. 31-W By-Pass. The hydrant has spilled more than 60,480 gallons in six weeks. Photo by Joe Imel

Water is flowing freely from a fire hydrant and a business owner wants it stopped. Rachel Carson, owner of Car Tune, says she cant get any satisfaction from her complaints to Bowling Green Municipal Utilities about the leaking hydrant at the intersection of 15th Avenue and U.S. 31-W By-Pass. I have called once every day for six weeks, she said. I had my bookkeeper call at least five times one day and they still wont fix it. Carson measured the steady steam of water pouring from the hydrant and said it is leaking a gallon a minute. I can see it from my office 250 feet away, she said. Its a waste of water. … Its got to be going on somebodys bill. Her disgust with BGMUs continuous promises to come and fix the hydrant led her to drastic measures last week. I put up a sign so everybody would know theyre throwing tax dollars away, Carson said. The sign sarcastically thanks BGMU for wasting tax dollars by letting the hydrant leak a gallon a minute for six weeks. Its negligence that they wont fix it, she said. It is just unreal theyve let it go this long. Id just like to see it get fixed. The utility has had trouble getting parts to repair the hydrant because it is an older model from the mid-1970s, said Philip Hunt, a BGMU water-sewer technician. Its been costing two dollars a day, he said. Greg Boettcher, superintendent of engineering over water and sewer, said the leak started when BGMU and the city fire department flushed some of the hydrants. This was an older hydrant and when it was opened, it wouldnt reseal, he said. We didnt shut the water off to the hydrant in case there was a fire in that area. The main line is under the street and Boettcher said it would not be cost effective to replace the hydrant. It appears to be wasteful, he said. But it is not cost efficient to rush out and replace it. Boettcher said it cost $1.50 for a thousand gallons of water. Thats roughly $90 worth of water so far to fix it, compared to $3,000 to replace it, he said. Boettcher said BGMU records indicate the parts needed to repair the hydrant were ordered April 5.I understand the parts came in the last day or two, he said. It will be taken care of shortly. Carson said earlier today that BGMU had showed up to fix the problem, but so far, all they had done was flood the road. Hunt also confirmed the utility worked on the hydrant today. They temporarily repaired it till we get the parts, he said. They put gaskets in and around the tap to help stop the leak. It is still leaking somewhat, but not near as much.