Illegal fire hydrant water connections discovered at Richland Airport hangars

KENNEWICK – Hangar owners at the Richland Airport may be required to open their doors to building inspectors after a fire hydrant inspection revealed unpermitted and unmetered connections to city water systems.

Diahann Howard, executive director of the Port of Benton, publicly disclosed during a recent meeting that some airport hangars tapped into two systems – one supplying water to fire hydrants and the other delivering city water.

The city of Richland detected the illegal hook ups in April when it inspected and tested fire hydrants at the port-owned airport, she said.

“During that inspection, an unpermitted and unmetered water line connection to (a) private hangar was discovered,” she said. Additional investigation revealed additional connections.

The port did not identify the tenants or buildings involved. It was not clear who paid for the water used.

Howard said the port takes the situation seriously. The city, she noted, asked the port to work with inspectors to give notice to tenants to roll up their doors so they can see what is inside.

Ground penetrating radar

Both agencies are hunting for additional illegal connections, she said.

A technician with Geophysical Survey of Kennewick was working near Butler Loop and Airport Way on Friday, using ground-penetrating radar to create a map of all known and unknown utilities for the port.

The port advised tenants of the situation in a memo released Tuesday.

In it, the port encouraged hangar owners to contact the city if they are aware of unpermitted or unmetered water line connections to their buildings.

In the interim, the investigation is leaving visible marks across the airport. Colorful paint marks indicate where utility lines have been found by city and port crews.

The marks were visible along Butler Loop and behind the fence near existing hangars. They indicate where the utilities were detected, but not if they are unauthorized.

Rather, the utility map will help investigators separate known and unknown lines at it searches for additional connections.

Water meter issue

Scott Keller, the port’s former executive director and current chair of the elected board of commissioners, said port has known about the problem since he bought a hangar without a water meter in 2017.

Keller said port and city staff worked on plans to put in a line and meters.

“Nothing was done,” he said.

The city said it would need time to research the issue before commenting on what happened in the past.

Commissioner Roy Keck, who also leases space at the airport, said he supports a “doors-up” inspection to give building officials, the fire department, county assessor and other interested agencies an opportunity to scrutinize what’s going on inside the privately owned hangars.

“I’ll include my property,” he told fellow commissioners “I think that’s a doable thing. It would go a long way toward getting compliance.”

The Port of Benton owns and operates the Richland Airport as a general aviation facility that caters to business and civilian aviation. The airport offers hangars and land for lease. Federal Aviation Administration funds help support the facility.

The Richland Airport is distinct from the Tri-Cities Airport, operated by the Port of Pasco. The regional airport supports commercial aviation in addition to private and business aviation.