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Ely residents shouldn’t let some upcoming mild weather fool them.
Clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski offered words of caution and warning Tuesday, indicating that conditions remain ripe for water lines to freeze in town.
“It looks like it will be in the 30s and 40s this weekend, but that does not mean you are out of the woods and can shut your water off,” Langowski said during Tuesday’s city council meeting. “The frost is still driving down. We’ve seen six feet of frost in the manholes in the alleys.”
Earlier this winter, city officials advised residents to keep their water running, particularly in areas where freeze-ups have occurred previously, in an effort to combat what seems to be an annual dilemma in town.
“We just want people to be aware - leave your water running,” said Langowski.
City crews wrestled with a couple of water service leaks in January, including one that impacted part of the downtown business district. That prompted concerns that this might be a year when city crews are forced to work feverishly to restore frozen water lines.
Langowski said that President’s Day weekend often coincides with frozen water lines in Ely.
As they’ve done previously when the weather has made it conducive for freeze-ups, city officials are urging residents to take precautions.
Most notable is the practice of running a stream of water, the size of a pencil lead, from a faucet.
“Run your water in the morning and if it’s 41 degrees one day and the next day it’s 40 you should run a trickle of water,” said Langowski. “That much of a trickle (is helpful in preventing frozen water lines). We don’t want to see a big influx of freeze-ups after next weekend.”
Frozen water lines are also an expensive proposition, with the Ely Utilities Commission offering to thaw private waterlines as time is available.
The minimum charge is $100, with each additional hour or portion of any hour assessed another $100.
Residents are also charged for overtime if a call-out is made outside of normal working hours, with a two-hour minimum overtime charge.
Preventive measures also come with a price of increased costs for water service.
In February 2014, city crews worked nearly around the clock for two weeks in the wake of numerous frozen water lines across town.
