NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Thousands of gallons of water are being wasted, and water customers could eventually pay for it.

Video: Customers Fit Bill For Tampered Fire Hydrants

Soaring heat may be reason enough for kids in some neighborhoods to tamper with fire hydrants in an effort to cool off, but the result could be costly and dangerous.

A wide open hydrant can waste 1 million gallons of water if the water main is huge and left on for 24 hours.

Frolicking in water that's gushing from a fire hydrant may be the perfect way to cool down when it's hot, but Mary Ruck's yard has been flooded nearly every day this week.

"It’s just children taking over a bunch of streets. It’s time for school to start," she said.

Firefighters said that so far, there hasn't been a problem fighting a house fire because of low water pressure due to hydrant tampering, but they said tampering isn’t OK.

"They could actually cut the hydrant on too hard, too much and injure themselves. Playing in the water that’s coming from the hydrant, they could slip and fall and injure themselves. So, we certainly don’t encourage them to do that," said Nashville Fire Department spokesman Charles Shannon.

A Metro Water representative said taxpayers end up paying for all the wasted water eventually.

A bill won't come to someone’s house, but eventually they’ll feel the cost. The water company is averaging at least 15 calls a week from people complaining about a fire hydrant at 25th and Alameda avenues.

"It’s not only that area. It’s something that we’ve battled every summer. It’s something that other large cities throughout the country battle each year," said Metro Water spokeswoman Sonia Harvat.

Aside from the cost, firefighters and people who manage the water supply said tampering with hydrants is dangerous.

Small children can be hurt by the tremendous pressure of gushing water, and water pounds into cars as drivers attempt to maneuver around it.

In the past, Metro Water has put diffusers on hydrants, so they're more like sprinklers and kids can have fun for a few hours, but they felt that was encouraging bad behavior.

So now they're looking for answers to the problem.

Some cities have used locks on fire hydrants to cut back on abuse, but Nashville officials said that can be dangerous if someone doesn't have a key when a hydrant is needed to put out a fire.

If you see this kind of abuse, call Metro Water at 862- 4600.