The first bout of winter weather has arrived, and village officials would like to share the following reminders with residents.
Personnel and plowing equipment are ready for any snow or ice removal that may be needed throughout the winter season. The village’s snow removal plan prioritizes plowing and/or salting operations in the following order — main arterial roads, central business district roads and school routes, train platform, secondary streets, sidewalk circuits, cul-de-sacs, parking lots, alleys and town clean-up.
Residential street parking at any time is not allowed after 3 inches of snowfall; violators are subject to ticketing.
When extremely cold temperatures are forecasted, individuals needing relief are encouraged to seek shelter at any DuPage County heating center, including the Hinsdale Police Department at 121 Symonds Drive. A full list of locations is available online at https://www.dupagecris.org.
Prevent frozen pipes
Extreme cold can cause pipes to crack and burst. To avoid this expensive and damaging situation, public services staff are reminding residents to leave their water trickling, to open cabinets in order to expose water pipes to warm air and to eliminate sources of cold air.
If you experience frozen pipes, shut off the water immediately. Do not attempt to thaw frozen pipes unless the water is shut off. Avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames.
Resident clean-up reminders
While plow drivers take care of public roads, residents can keep their neighborhoods safe by appropriately clearing sidewalks, driveways, and fire hydrants this winter.
• Sidewalks
Homeowners are responsible for keeping walkways in residential areas safe and clear of snow. Shoveling and the right amount of salt help to keep sidewalks open for students getting to and from school, mail carriers and other residents walking in the neighborhood. Shoveling snow before it gets walked on and compressed helps reduce the amount of ice that forms.
If you choose to use salt, remember that a 12-ounce cup of salt is enough to cover 10 sidewalk squares. Scatter salt sparsely across the squares so it is not clumped together. Rock salt stops working when temperatures are below 15 degrees. Consider switching to a product formulated for colder temperatures.
• Driveways
Unfortunately, as snow is plowed off the streets, it piles up at the end of driveways and crosswalks. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to clear this snow from the end of the driveway or crosswalk in a safe manner. It is illegal and unsafe for snow or ice to be put back on the road.
• Fire hydrants
The Hinsdale Fire Department encourages you to “adopt” your local fire hydrant by clearing snow and ice from around it.
The tank on an engine empties in about 3.5 minutes. Engineers can get water to the engine from the hydrant, on average, in 1.5 minutes under optimal conditions. If the engineer has to dig out a hydrant, the time lost could prove disastrous. Members of the fire department try to clear out as many hydrants as possible, but there are simply too many to get to them all.
Residents’ efforts to keep neighborhoods safe during the winter season are appreciated.
For more winter preparedness tips, visit https://www.ready.illinois.gov.
