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❖ Washing Away Winter Blues
LAKEVILLE OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
Christopher Petree, Director
February 2011
Okay, it might not be that easy, this is still
March and the very real possibility of additional
snow and cold temperatures remain in the
forecast. The Streets Division, however, did
deal with the clean up of a recent ink spill in
Airlake Industrial Park. A large container of
blue ink being transported through the
industrial park sprung a leak and left several
roads in the industrial park with a blue coating.
Recent snowfall and daytime thaws made this a
very colorful event as cars and trucks drove
through the area. Fortunately, the ink was
water - soluble and not hazardous to the
environment. Streets Division staff
opened storm catch basins that
were covered by snow to promote
better drainage, got together the
three City water tankers, and
flushed the streets with water. The
runoff went into storm retention
ponds where the diluted ink will
dissipate with the snowmelt and
spring rains. This removed the
majority of the blue ink from the
road surface. Staff followed up
with salt to make sure that the road surface did not re- freeze and become
slippery. The trucking company that was responsible for the ink container will
reimburse the City for its clean up efforts.
• Pothole Repairs
The short, but welcome, thaw in mid - February
gave Streets Division staff a break from
snowplowing and the opportunity to get a start
on pothole repairs around the City. Potholes
are caused by moisture that seeps through
cracks in the asphalt surface. Once underneath
the roadway, the moisture freezes and thaws,
expanding and contracting, and creates a void
under that section of the asphalt. Vehicles
passing over that spot cause the roadway to
flex and eventually to break down completely
resulting in a pothole. To repair the pothole,
street maintenance staff cleans out any loose
material, ice, and
water and fills the
hole with a specific asphalt mixture for winter
use. They then tamp the asphalt into the hole to
make sure it adheres to the edges of the hole
properly. Residents call in many of the potholes
needing repair and City maintenance staff find
others as they move between jobs. By whatever
method they are found, the important thing is
that they are repaired as quickly as possible, as
weather permits, for the safety of motorists and
preservation of the road surface. Crews will be
out repairing potholes throughout the spring,
summer, and fall.
• Clearing Frozen Storm Sewer Lines
Little is more disheartening or damaging as a storm sewer system overwhelmed
by storm water runoff. In the
winter, after a thaw, the storm
system tends to fill with water from
the melting snow and then freeze
when the cold temps return. At the
next thaw, the new snowmelt has
nowhere to go and overflows the
catch basins and culverts making
large areas of ice on driveways and
roads. Streets and Utilities Division
maintenance staff work together to
cut through the blockage using
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high- pressure water. The Utilities
Division sets up the Vactor to use the
high - pressure hose and sewer - cleaning
nozzle, called the jetter, and the
Streets Division brings in a water
tanker to assure a large supply of
water. The jetter is placed in the
manhole or culvert and water is
pumped through the nozzle at 2000
psi, using about 80 gallons per
minute; water from the front of the
while water from the rear of the nozzle holds it in
place. Once equipment is in position and the process started, it's just a mater
of time. The use of cold water through the jetter affects the efficiency of the
operation and the length of the blockage dictates the amount of time clearing
the line might take. The jetter typically moves through a blockage at a rate of
10 to 15 feet per hour. Clearing a storm water line can take many hours and
many thousands of gallons of water.
nozzle cuts into the
ice
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