Watertown issues freeze prevention notice to at-risk properties

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) — It has been a challenging winter for all, but for some, frigid temperatures pose more problems as their pipes have been deemed more susceptible to freezing.

In Watertown, the city water department issued notices to 65 residents and businesses, advising them that they’re on the city’s freeze list.

“This particular year, we issued this memorandum. Folks that we know have issues with freezing service lines,” Wagenaar said.

The prolonged cold weather has created unusual challenges for the water system.

“We’re all used to every once in a while, the temperature dropping down below zero with some wind chill, but not this prolonged time that we saw this winter,” Wagenaar said.

Homeowner responsibility

The pipes affected run from the main water line under the road to the house and fall under the responsibility of the homeowner. To protect those pipes, the water department advises homeowners to keep their faucets running.

“Here’s the guidance on the flow: basically, find a single source in your home to run a pencil lead size of flow,” Wagenaar said.

The city water department tracks water usage and anyone preventing freezing pipes will not be charged for leaving the taps on.

“We see that bump, that you’re now going into freeze prevention protocol and we don’t charge for that bump in your normal water use,” Wagenaar said.

Water usage monitoring

Frozen pipes are not the only reason the city tracks water usage.

“It’s also an indicator that there might be a break. You know, especially this time of year when you’ve got people that are down south for a few months and all of a sudden their water usage spikes and we’re like ‘okay, well let me go over there and check if there’s a service line break or a main break or something going on inside their house,’” Wagenaar said.

Wagenaar said this winter has been hard on the water infrastructure and thanked residents for their patience and cooperation with the city.

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