Upper Arlington Fire Division crews will fan out across the city starting Monday, Sept. 21, to pump residual water from more than 2,000 fire hydrants before the first hard freeze.

The city announced the fall program on X on Thursday, Sept. 17, giving residents four days' notice. The work will move street by street and will not interrupt water service, the city said.

The pumping is part of a twice-yearly cycle. The Fire Division inspects every hydrant twice a year to confirm each is in working order and to flag any that need repairs, according to the city's fire hydrant maintenance page. Hydrants are flushed each spring and pumped dry each fall.

The work is routine.

Residents who spot firefighters at a hydrant in their neighborhood should know it is scheduled maintenance, not an emergency response.

During the April 2026 spring flushing round, the city noted on Instagram that residents might see temporary water discoloration near active work zones. The city described the discoloration as normal and short-lived. Whether the same effect occurs during fall pumping has not been stated.

During a prior flushing round, the city posted a daily schedule on its website showing where crews would be working each day, according to an archived city notice. That notice listed work hours as weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., though hours for this fall's program have not been confirmed. The city also offered an interactive map during the spring round so residents could check when firefighters would reach their neighborhood. No equivalent map has been confirmed for the fall cycle.

No end date for the fall pumping program has been announced. Residents can check for schedule updates at upperarlingtonoh.gov.