Photo by Shelley Hanson. Shown here is one of the many newly painted fire hydrants in Martins Ferry. They are color coded to help the fire department know their water pressures.

MARTINS FERRY — The city’s fire hydrants are getting a new look, but it is not just about vanity.

Water Superintendent Bill Suto said that summer worker Donovan Shrodes has been working to repaint the city’s fire hydrants this summer, something that had not been done in years. Instead of a standard yellow, though, Suto said the hydrants have been color coded based on their respective water pressures.

For example, the tops of the hydrants are painted with either blue, green, red, yellow or orange. The color clues firefighters in to which hydrant has the highest pressure.

“We’re doing this as a preventive measure. It hasn’t been done in a long time,” Suto said. “Blue has the highest pressure and green the second highest pressure. Then it goes orange, yellow and red is the lowest.”

Suto said all the hydrants are pressure tested before being painted the corresponding color.

“The pressure is different based on location and line size. We do pressure tests on them to confirm. … The fire department knows if there’s one with a red top and one across the street with a green top, they will go with the higher pressure,” Suto said.

Suto said the water department coordinated with the Martins Ferry Volunteer Fire Department on the project. He said the city’s hydrants years ago were colored coded, and the city wanted to get back to that.

Suto said Shrodes will be out again next week painting more hydrants before he goes back to college this coming fall.

Meanwhile, city water workers this week had to repair a broken waterline valve on West Vine Street. Suto said the repair was made quickly. He noted his department is continuing to do other preventive maintenance and repairs as needed this summer.

Mayor Robert Krajnyak said as the fire hydrants are checked for pressure, workers also discover which ones need repaired or replaced as well.

“They do make them appear a lot better, but it’s something to do to maintain them. They’re checking them out to see what works. We’re not waiting until one fails during a house fire,” Krajnyak said.