Politics & Government

City of CL Warns Residents About Risk of Water Lines Freezing

Extreme prolonged, cold weather conditions increase risk of water lines freezing, the City of Crystal Lake warns residents.

The city of Crystal Lake issued a notice Friday warning residents of the risk of water lines freezing in the extreme cold weather.

The frost covering the city is able to penetrate deeper into the ground and reach some water service lines, the city news release states.

This problem has been exacerbated during prolonged periods of extreme cold temperatures, and is expected to continue over the next several days. When the frost reaches these depths, it is able to freeze the water and service lines, which can prevent residents from having access to water.  

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A frozen service line can be costly to homeowners who must call a plumber to thaw their exterior service line. Residents who have experienced this problem in the past may be at risk again, the news release states.

City officials urge these residents to turn on one faucet in their home and leave it running at a trickle, with the water stream no wider than a pencil.  This will allow the water to flow through the pipes, and prevent it from freezing. 

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In extreme cases, if frozen exterior service lines are left untreated, they can cause pipes to burst in a resident’s home. This problem is particularly prevalent in vacant homes that have not had their pipes properly winterized, the release states.  

By allowing the home’s plumbing to remain active while not heating the home, the property owner is taking a significant risk that the pipes will not freeze.  Proper precautions must be taken in these dwellings to ensure the integrity of the unit’s plumbing system.

If a resident experiences a water outage caused by freezing pipes, they should contact the Public Works Department at (815) 356-3614.

 

Source: City of Crystal Lake


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here