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Risk Alerts

Evaluate Sprinkler Systems Coverage This Time of Year

As winter nears, some sprinkler systems have not been adjusted to their winter setting as people are trying to make their vegetation last as long as possible. Yet, with the onset of freezing nighttime temperatures what was mere overspray in the summer and early fall, becomes a hazard when it turns to ice. PACE Loss Control encourages everyone to re-calibrate irrigation systems for proper coverage this and next month. 

This time last year, at least two reported accidents occurred in Deschutes County on icy sidewalks and streets. In one incident, the street was covered in irrigation overspray water that turned to ice and a cyclist took a spill on the street and was hospitalized. Another incident involved a pedestrian who slipped on an icy sidewalk and also required medical treatment.

Although people need to be cautious of slippery surfaces when walking or bicycling in the winter, the situation changes in the fall. Walkers and cyclists do not expect to encounter ice on their path of travel this time of year. 

While icy incidents are not common, they may be preventable with cooperation from property owners and the landscape contractor industry. Please test all systems to ensure that adjacent walkways and roadways are not being irrigated. Overspray creates an unnecessarily dangerous condition for the public.

To read the original News Release, visit www.deschutes.org.