AUDREY BARNES
WTTG
Reprinted with Permission

WASHINGTON - A disturbing report out of Metro says some of its standpipes that fire crews hook into during emergencies don't carry adequate water pressure. Local fire officials say that could be a problem if a major fire broke out in a Metro tunnel.


"They put in pipes that are too small," said Pete Piringer of D.C. Fire and EMS.

As a precaution, Piringer says D.C. crews carry a secondary water supply. They'll start doing some flow tests on the pipes to figure out just how low the pressure is so they can be prepared.

Metro says despite the low flow, riders are safe. Sprinklers and fire alarms are among the safety equipment they cite to back that up.

"We want to assure riders that Metro has enough standpipe delivering water to the system," Metro spokesperson Angela Gates said. "Work to replace the pipes is already underway and will take three years to complete."

That is a little unnerving to some Metro passengers.

"If there's an accident, then what?" Victoria Samuels asked.

"We pay a lot of money for Metro," Alexandria Daniel said. “They have to do better."

Most of the affected pipes are in D.C. on the Red, Green, and Orange lines, but some are also in Montgomery County.

Metro says it will cost more than $6 million to replace them.