Clearing Snow and Ice

Icy sidewalks can be a hazard for everyone including seniors, children, mail carriers, meter readers, firefighters and paramedics. As the weather warms up and then freezes again, water from melting snow can run onto cleared sidewalks.

Here are a few tips to help maintain your walkways:

– Warm weather during the day can make ice soft, so it’s easier to chip or shovel away.

– Spread sand or gravel on icy patches to make your sidewalk safer for pedestrians. Spreading sand on a sidewalk before ice forms can also make future ice easier to remove.

– Microwaving sand in a microwave-safe container and spreading it while it is still warm will make the sand embed itself into the ice, creating a gritty top layer.

– Pile snow in a place where it will not run across your sidewalk when it melts and aim your downspouts away from areas where people walk.

Frozen Water Line Prevention

If the water service line to your home has ever frozen or you have noticed a reduced water flow in your home during the winter, leave one tap running cold water day and night (stream should be the size of a pencil). This will help to prevent your lines from freezing. Since frost sinks deeper into the ground when air temperatures rise after a period of extreme cold, you will need to keep the water running 24/7 until mid-April to avoid having the line freeze.

The City of Kimberley encourages residents who have experienced frozen water service lines in the past to be pro-active by ensuring indoor lines are properly insulated, keeping a good snow cover over the ground above the service lines and installing a bleeder line system.

For more information click here.

Frozen Sewer Lines

To aid in preventing frozen sewer lines, it is important to run hot water through your sewage system once per day when we are experiencing cold temperatures. If you suspect your sewer line to be freezing fill your bathtub one quarter full of hot water then release the water to thaw the sewer line (while monitoring for possible backup in the line). Control the release of the water with the drain plug. This may need to be repeated one or two times, and possibly every day or two to ensure the line does not freeze.

Performing a load or two of laundry each day using hot water will also help to reduce freezing issues. Please contact a plumber if you have attempted this and nothing is draining or changing.

Be Radon Aware: Free Test Kits Available

Radon gas, the second leading cause of lung cancer, is a naturally occurring gas found in the ground throughout the world. Every building will contain some amount of radon gas — it becomes a concern when it reaches high levels. If high levels of radon are found, basic measures can be taken to address the problem.  Radon is colourless, odourless, and tasteless, so the only way to know if the radon levels in your home are high is to conduct testing. The best time to test your home for radon gas is now through April when windows and doors are often closed and rising warm air in a home draws more radon from the ground.

Testing a home is as easy as placing a small puck-like kit within the lowest area of the home that could be occupied for more than four hours per day. The kit should remain in that location for a minimum of three months and then mailed to a laboratory for results.  In partnership with Interior Health, the City of Kimberley has a limited number of free test kits available for Kimberley households. First come, first serve, maximum one per household, and verification of address is required. Pick up only at City Hall, 340 Spokane Street and return kits to City Hall in April for delivery to lab.

You will receive the results by email directly from the lab. Additional test kits are available for purchase from local retailers and the BC Lung Association – order at RadonAware.ca or call 1-800-665-5864.  More information on radon can be found on the Interior Health website.

City of Kimberley

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