Fall Update from the City of Waitsburg

With colder temperatures and leaves starting to fall, I thought I would provide residents with some information regarding fall activities associated with the city.

First, there has been a Washington State Department of Ecology burn ban in effect since January 1, 2007; meaning you cannot burn leaves or branches. The city does not pick up leaves, so please do not rake or blow them into the street as it actually can clog our street sweeper. Instead, residents of the city can dispose of their leaves in the leaf bin at the city shop in either bags or in loose bunches. Limbs and other debris can normally be hauled to Waste Water Treatment Plant for disposal, but due to the back log of limbs, we are not currently taking any additional material.

Second, colder temperatures can lead to pipe freezing, so if you plan to leave for an extended period of time or head south for the winter, you might want to consider contacting the city about turning your water off to help avoid your pipes freezing and breaking. Also it’s a good idea to turn off outside faucets and insulate irrigation boxes where needed.

Lastly, with the installation of our new water meters, there will no longer be a need to skip reading water meters during the winter months, eliminating the process known as winter prorate. This will allow the city to read meters all year long and potentially spot leaks before they turn into major issues, leading to very high water bills and flooded basements.

As always, should anyone have any questions about anything the city is doing, they are welcome to contact me at city hall or through the city’s website at http://www.cityofwaitsburg.com.