Over the weekend the Post published an update to the Adams Morgan water pressure saga. Turns out firefighters did not tap into a much closer hydrant connected to a larger water main due to a false assumption about which main it was connected to.

The fire department continues to point the finger at WASA, however, saying that it is nearly impossible for firefighters in the field to know which hydrants are connected to what kind of water mains. Maps of the city’s water system are outdated and difficult to read, the fire department said. D.C. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin has proposed that WASA color-code hydrants according to water flow, so firefighters can quickly determine which hydrants to use. WASA’s maps do show the hydrant in question was connected to a separate, 12-inch main, however.

No one seems ready to take responsibility for the decisions that led the condominium building fire to rage on for almost eight hours. Rubin’s idea to color-code the city’s hydrants is a good one, and WASA should absolutely have more up to date, easier to read maps available for fire crews. But it does appear as though the decision not to use a closer hydrant was at least partially firefighter error, and it could go a long way toward the two agencies playing nicely together in the future if the Fire Chief now admitted to some amount of blame in this incident.

Photo by Samer Farha