Frozen Water Service Control Plan

What is it?

The Water Division developed a Frozen Water Service Control Plan to delineate responsibility for planned and orderly winter maintenance of City owned water infrastructure. Water infrastructure maintenance is performed by the Water Division of the Public Utility Department. The plan is designed to provide citizens an understanding of the complexity and difficulties of frozen water services control, and includes a summary of procedures and policies of the City related frozen water service control.

Plan Objectives

One of the primary objectives of the City's Water Division is to provide a safe and reliable source of water service. The Frozen Water Service Plan was developed to facilitate this objective as it pertains to water system maintenance under adverse winter weather conditions. The procedures presented in the plan serve to outline the manner in which the Water Division directs City crews in addressing frozen water services under both ordinary and emergency situations.

Freeze-up Warnings

The Water Division will monitor the weather and freeze-up problems as they occur. Based on the winter 2007/2008 data, the recommended trigger for issuing a freeze-up warning is consecutive days where the average temperature is expected to be 20°F or cooler.

If the City experiences conditions during winter months to trigger a freeze-up warning, the Water Division will post information intended for “High Risk” services on the Water Division's web site and issue public service announcements.

View Santa fe's current weather information, three day forecast, and Warnings, Watches, and Advisories at the Official Travel Site for Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Plan Priorities

In the event that the volume of calls for loss of service due to water freezing along the water service exceeds the ability to restore service promptly, hospital and major medical facilities, senior centers, and schools will be given first priority. Residential and commercial services will be given second priority, and construction and vacant services will be third.

Independent Analysis and Review of Service Freeze-ups

During the winter of 2007/2008, the City of Santa Fe experienced an above-normal number of freezing problems with water mains, meter, and customer service lines located throughout its water distribution system which left some customers without water service for an extended period of time. The Water Division contracted URS Corporation to conduct an evaluation of the conditions and circumstances that contributed to the freezing problems during this period and provide recommendations on the Water Division's standard designs, specifications, and related procedures that may help minimize the chances of or avoid future freezing problems.

URS Executive Summary (57KB PDF)

Quick Links

Prevention of Frozen Services
High Risk Services
Frozen Service FAQs
Frozen Service Main Page

For more information, contact the Water Division at (505) 955-4333

Note: PDF files can only be read using Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can obtain a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader software by clicking on the link below.

Updated December 27, 2008