City Water Mains Holding Up Well So Far, Despite Cold Temps

The City of Fond du Lac’s
water service mains have held up fairly well despite the extreme cold of the
last few days. That’s according to Public Works Director Jordan Skiff, who says
frost levels in the ground aren’t as low as they were during the extreme cold
temperatures of a few years ago. “What we found so far this winter, just
because it was a late onset of winter, the ground conditions weren’t as wet as
the coldest weather hit, we haven’t been finding the frost be as deep,” Skiff said.
In the extreme cold temperatures from a few years ago, Skiff says “when we
would have a water break, our water crews would find that frost levels they
were dealing with were several feet into the ground, down well into where some
of our water mains and water services are located.” Skiff says the water
department has sent out “run water” notices to the first round of homeowners
whose water service pipes are within three to four feet from the surface, as
those pipes are most likely to freeze in cold weather. As the frost gets deeper
into the ground, more homeowners will receive a “run water” notice in the mail.