The temperatures are significantly warmer this week in central Iowa, but if this winter has been any indication, don’t anticipate it staying this way.  Even tomorrow, we’re expected to experience blizzard conditions in the local area according to the National Weather Service.

Suffice it to say it’s been a rough winter for all of us, and General Manager John Rutledge says the Lake Panorama Association is battling a multitude of different challenges as a result of this harsh winter and will be for some time.

“We expect to be dealing with a lot of issues related to this winter even throughout the thaw.  It could require us to do a prolonged road embargo here in March or April, and it will probably shorten our work season on the water–we’ll get a late start with the dredging because of the deep ice.  So we really feel like this winter has a couple months yet to play out and we encourage homeowners to really be aware of their sewer, septic and water lines.”

Those septic and water main lines are facing problems because of the deep frost conditions at Lake Panorama.  Rutledge says there is as much as four feet of frost in the ground, and water main breaks are occurring with regularity.

“It’s not just Lake Panorama but a lot of municipalities have struggled with a record number of water main breaks and we’ve had the same issues.  It’s really an unprecedented–I don’t want to say unprecedented ever but we haven’t seen it in a very long time where frost has pushed down so far to threaten those services.”

Rutledge says the LPA will release information and recommendations to homeowners in the days ahead that may help to lessen the chances of a water main or septic tank freeze.

To hear more from Rutledge as he discusses the winter challenges Lake Panorama is dealing with, tune-in to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County on K107 during the 9am, noon and 5pm hours.