A fleet of plows and snow gear are available because the Metropolis of Sarnia braces for the primary main snowfall of the season.
A snow squall watch is posted for Sarnia-Lambton advising of as much as 30 centimetres of snow by Saturday afternoon.
Common Supervisor of Engineering and Operations David Jackson stated winter upkeep companies are supplied on 5 sidewalk routes and 11 street plow routes.
“Total, we have now 13 plows. Throughout huge storms, we put all of our gear out,” Jackson stated. “We’ve got 4 backhoes that may become involved and one tractor, and we do have contractors on name for backup if it is a actually giant occasion.”
Town additionally began getting ready for the winter season by laying down anti-ice spray on high-risk areas, akin to bridges and overpasses.
Jackson stated the realm has been fortunate over the previous few winter seasons, spared from harsh snow-covered months.
Because of this, the town could also be a surplus of roughly $100,000 to $200,000 within the winter upkeep price range by the tip of 2024.
“In fact, we’re topic to the whim of the climate and so there is a minor danger there but when we’re seeing the sort of development we have had the previous couple of years, we have determined to maintain the price range the identical because it was final 12 months,” he stated.
One factor residents can do to help snow clearing efforts is to keep away from parking on roadways.
“All through the winter, when there’s a huge snow occasion, even when it is throughout the daytime, it is good if automobiles will not be on the street. It makes it a lot simpler for the operator to clear the road correctly,” Jackson stated. “So we undoubtedly encourage individuals when there’s a huge snow occasion, if they’ll hold their automobiles off of the street, that is a lot appreciated.”
The metropolis’s in a single day parking ban got here into impact on December 1 and can stay in place till March 31, 2025.
In the meantime, about 70 watermain breaks have been reported throughout the town this 12 months, as of late November. Jackson stated the quantity is “pretty typical” in comparison with the previous few years.
