diff --git a/middleware/index.js b/middleware/index.js
index 8e37a657ac56..f5d203061a92 100644
--- a/middleware/index.js
+++ b/middleware/index.js
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import {
   setDefaultFastlySurrogateKey,
   setLanguageFastlySurrogateKey,
 } from './set-fastly-surrogate-key.js'
-import reqUtils from './req-utils.js'
 import handleErrors from './handle-errors.js'
 import handleInvalidPaths from './handle-invalid-paths.js'
 import handleNextDataPath from './handle-next-data-path.js'
@@ -211,7 +210,6 @@ export default function (app) {
   app.set('etag', false) // We will manage our own ETags if desired
 
   // *** Config and context for redirects ***
-  app.use(reqUtils) // Must come before events
   app.use(instrument(detectLanguage, './detect-language')) // Must come before context, breadcrumbs, find-page, handle-errors, homepages
   app.use(asyncMiddleware(instrument(reloadTree, './reload-tree'))) // Must come before context
   app.use(asyncMiddleware(instrument(context, './context'))) // Must come before early-access-*, handle-redirects
diff --git a/middleware/req-utils.js b/middleware/req-utils.js
deleted file mode 100644
index aea4926c4972..000000000000
--- a/middleware/req-utils.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-import Hydro from '../src/events/hydro.js'
-
-export default function reqUtils(req, res, next) {
-  req.hydro = new Hydro()
-  return next()
-}
diff --git a/src/events/middleware.js b/src/events/middleware.js
index f54e25116204..7dceba73d3c1 100644
--- a/src/events/middleware.js
+++ b/src/events/middleware.js
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ import addFormats from 'ajv-formats'
 import { eventSchema, hydroNames } from './schema.js'
 import catchMiddlewareError from '../../middleware/catch-middleware-error.js'
 import { noCacheControl } from '../../middleware/cache-control.js'
+import Hydro from './hydro.js'
 
+const hydro = new Hydro()
 const router = express.Router()
 const ajv = new Ajv()
 addFormats(ajv)
@@ -23,14 +25,13 @@ router.post(
 
     res.json({})
 
-    if (req.hydro.maySend()) {
+    if (hydro.maySend()) {
       try {
-        await req.hydro.publish(hydroNames[req.body.type], omit(req.body, OMIT_FIELDS))
+        await hydro.publish(hydroNames[req.body.type], omit(req.body, OMIT_FIELDS))
       } catch (err) {
         console.error('Failed to submit event to Hydro', err)
       }
     }
   })
 )
-
 export default router