VA Public Works Storm Recap

Описание: Tristan Cisco, our Public Works Director, gives us a look behind the scenes of how Van Alstyne Public Works was able to keep water and sewer service running during the Winter Storm.

We want to share what our Public Works team focused on during the storm, the challenges we faced, and the reasons behind certain decisions. Our top priority was keeping water and sewer services running while also periodically treating major intersections with salt. This approach is consistent with how most neighboring cities—especially those similar in size—respond to winter weather events.

Freezing temperatures, ice, and snow posed significant risks to our water infrastructure, particularly pump stations with exposed, above-ground piping. At the same time, increased water use from residents staying home and dripping faucets led to unusually high sewer flows, requiring constant monitoring and rapid response to prevent backups and overflows.

Public Works maintained 24-hour staffing from Friday through Tuesday, responding to water and wastewater emergencies, assisting with snow and ice removal at Fire Department bays and the community warming station, maintaining access to water and sewer facilities, and salting major intersections at least twice daily.

Challenges included a limited number of 4x4 vehicles, limiting how many employees could safely respond, along with a frozen pump at our largest production site. Staff worked around the clock, operating pumps every 1–2 hours to keep the site operational.

For street operations, our primary focus was salting major intersections, consistent with how many nearby cities respond during winter weather. Clearing roadways can create additional safety and infrastructure concerns. Using construction equipment on icy streets can damage pavement and underground utilities and create unsafe conditions for both operators and the public. Additionally, the City has only one salt spreader with limited capacity, so salt applications were prioritized for critical locations.

We are proud of our Public Works team for their dedication—many worked long hours, stayed on site, and responded continuously to keep essential services running during extremely challenging conditions.