News Flash

With wintertime temperatures often dipping below freezing, the Roswell Police Department is asking everyone to be aware of the hazard created by allowing sprinklers to send water onto streets. Businesses and residents are reminded to ensure water systems on their properties are accurately set and functioning properly and are in good repair so water does not flow excessively into the streets and other areas where it could freeze and potentially cause vehicle accidents.

Property owners and occupants can be cited by police for “hazardous materials on roadway” and summonsed into court if they allow water to run from their properties onto streets and become a danger to motorists.

City ordinance notes the “wasting of city water is contrary to the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City of Roswell and is therefore declared to be a public nuisance.” The ordinance makes it unlawful for anyone to allow city water to unnecessarily and excessively flow onto any highway, street, gutter or alley. This includes using a lawn sprinkler or landscape irrigation system in such a way that city water is regularly permitted to flow, run off or spray onto these prohibited areas.

In addition to the possible police citation for creating a potential icy hazard on a roadway, which can result in court-imposed fines, city water customers can be assessed monetary penalties on their water bills if the customer permits city water to be wasted.