Residents urged to let faucet drip to keep water flowing

    Residents can avoid their water service from freezing by allowing one of the sinks within their home to maintain a slow, steady trickle of water, according to information provided by the village of Coal City.
    The information comes ahead of a forecast that calls for below zero temperatures and wind chills that will range from minus 20 on Tuesday to as low as minus 55 through Thursday morning.
    Maintaining a steady trickle of water is necessary due to the constant freezing temperatures, and village officials note the potential for water services freezing increases with the increased age of your home.
    Coal City Village Hall has received many calls from residents in the past few years having trouble with their water service. They inquired about services being shutoff, which was not the case. Water was no longer being provided to the house because their water service from the village’s main line was not installed at the proper depth. If the water line installed to the residence is not a minimum of 4-feet in depth, there is the possibility the line could freeze due to the current weather conditions.
    If you are a Coal City resident and your house was built prior to 1990, it is in your best interest to let the water trickle  at your residence in order to ensure the water service does not freeze. The houses that experienced frozen lines utilized their water intermittently allowing the water service to freeze. Allowing a slow trickle within one of the sinks at your house will ensure some water is constantly flowing through the service line.
    Frozen water lines create many problems. Homeowners are without water service while the line is frozen and thawing the lines can lead to greater fire potentials.
    Please be aware, when the warmer temperatures return the frost can be driven deeper into the ground causing greater potential for more water services to freeze.
    Village crews are already busy throughout the village due to the winter weather, so town officials ask the public to please assist by lessening the potential for more frozen water lines.