Extreme cold temperatures and below average snow cover pushed frost to depths of up to eight feet in Saskatoon last winter, approaching the depth of some water services, according to a city report.
The deep frost led to a high number of water service interruptions, including 126 water main breaks and 271 frozen connections - the second highest number of frozen connections in the city's history, according to the report. The 2014 winter had 289 frozen connections.
The report from the city’s Utilities and Environment Department also outlines how a computer model is under development that might help predict when high instances of frozen water connections are likely to occur by using historical data.
The model would give administration a chance to warn the residents experiencing repeat frozen connections to run water, and find sufficient City resources in advance of freezing occurring.
The report specifies several contingency plans to deal with issues arising from deep frost including:
- The city will increase the number of thaw machines, used to thaw frozen connections from inside a home, to four from two.
- All addresses with frozen connections from 2019 will be compared to the list of frozen connections from past years to determine those that have frozen multiple times. The select addresses will be investigated to try and determine the cause of the freezing. Solutions may include lowering a portion of the connection or adding insulation.
- Frozen connections are not tracked in a manner that makes data reporting easy, as it involves extensive manual work. Changes will be put in place before next winter to allow for easier reporting.
