Brickbat: Who’ll Stop the Fire

Officials in cities
across the nation say they were caught off guard by a recent ruling
by the Environmental Protection Agency that fire hydrants must meet
new stricter lead-content rules for plumbing fixtures. Officials
say that means that hydrants and hydrant parts they have already
bought can’t be installed after Jan. 4, and manufacturers say
they’ll have to completely change the way they make them. The new
rules are supposed to reduce
lead in drinking water, but city officials and manufacturers
note that water from fire hydrants is rarely used for drinking.