Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
At school, I’ve been learning about the water cycle and I realized there is a bit of snowmelt going on. This was especially clear when I took a walk on an unusually warm winter day. I paid extra attention to the water that was melting from the winter’s snow. The water was all going somewhere, but I wasn’t sure where.
As I pondered many of my ideas, I decided to interview the City of New Rockford Public Works Superintendent Bruce Hirchert to learn more about what it takes to manage snow and snowmelt.
The first thing I learned from Bruce was that Central Avenue is a high spot in town. If you look north from there, you can see the way land tapers off toward the James River. Ideally, that is where the water runoff water will go, and the city has a plan to make sure it gets there.
Before a winter storm even hits, the city crews make sure the streets are clear of dirt, leaves and garbage, which can block the waterways, keeping melt from properly draining. During a storm, Bruce and his crew will wait it out. There’s no sense in cleaning the streets over and over. So they wait until the storm had passed. Then the crew gets to work. The first priorities are emergency routes and the downtown area. Sometimes they start as early as 2 a.m. and work until the town is clean and ready for business.
Bruce said that the storm that hit in October left several businesses unable to open. The heavy wet snow caused large drifts around town. There was a drift between the cafe and funeral home and was 9.3 feet tall. Yes, Bruce actually measured it!
Streets need help after the snow starts to melt. There are low spots where puddles collect, causing large patches of ice, water, or slush. Sometimes the only way to get rid of the excess water is to sweep it into the gutter.
The city crew also works to widen the streets after moving snow. But where do they move the snow? They haul it away in dump trucks and pile it on the north side of town near the James River, creating enormous snow hills. These then melt slowly and the water drains to the James River.
Bruce says the trick is hauling the snow before it becomes water. When slush gathers on the street, the city crews really have a challenge. As Bruce says, “You can’t go far with slush.” In fact, they have to be moving fairly fast to get enough momentum to move slush or heavy snow. That is why Bruce always puts safety first and encourages people to give crews plenty of space during snow cleanup. Speaking of safety, the city crew wears bright colored uniforms in neon green, yellow, and orange to stay visible to resident and motorists.
As much as Bruce dislikes moving snow, he dislikes dealing with flooding even more. Managing the water flow is important because New Rockford has a combined system for storm drainage and sewage. Bruce says the water treatment lagoons south of town get filled too fast when the drainage system is overflowing.
On my walk, I saw evidence of the gutters and drainage built into the street. Bruce later explained that they keep run-off water flowing to the river. This is important because it prevents water from pooling and flooding near people’s homes and keeps the sewage system operating. I hadn’t paid attention before, but here town there are ditches, sewers and culverts all around that direct the water.
When it comes to thinking about the spring thaw, Bruce is optimistic. He says he has been watching the river, which has been flowing. The rapids are still open too. These are good signs, but the crew is still prepared. Back in October when a large storm was followed by a melt, Bruce rallied people to help fill sandbags just in case. If we need them, they will be there. If we don’t, then the 1200-1500 sandbags will be available to other counties to use.
Bruce has worked for the city for 19 years and has served as the Public Works Superintendent for 6 years.
When asked about his favorite part of the job, Bruce said he likes to make the town look better and work better for residents and visitors.
His favorite piece of equipment changes with the seasons. In the winter, his favorite is the payloader with a snow plow attached. In the summer he likes operating the street sweeper. In fact, his winter job is a lot different than the work he does in the summer. He even said he would allow me to interview him again and see his shop in the summer. Until then, if you have ideas on who I should interview next, drop me a line at [email protected] or leave a message with the Transcript at (701) 947-2417.
