Luna Park Staff Take Fire Hydrant Water

NEW YORK—Luna Park employees connected a hose to a fire hydrant near its “Wild River” ride, the Brooklyn Daily discovered on Aug. 7.

A picture on the newspaper’s website shows a hose coming out of the Coney Island amusement park near a fence, close to the log flume ride, connected to a fire hydrant. 

Public officials the Brooklyn Daily spoke with said the use of hydrant water is illegal and could pose a public danger. Officials from the fire department said it could cause “dangerously low water pressure,” which would limit fire dousing abilities. 

A spokeswoman with the department told the newspaper that anyone caught opening and using water from a fire hydrant could be fined as much as $1,000.

Park spokeswoman Chloe Gallo said in an email that the maintenance team at Luna Park “made a quick judgement call” when the log flume ride “experienced an unusual and slight drop in water levels.” The total water taken from the hydrant equals about 3,500 gallons, she added. The agency has since created new protocol “so this will not happen again,” while offering to pay the city for the water it used.