Township News

Starting Tuesday, December 13, 2016, the Salisbury Township Public Works Department will continue the next round of leaf collection. One crew will be in the Saddlebrook area working towards Meadowbrook.  The second crew will be working in the Devonshire area.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2016

Visit 511PA.com to Check Road Conditions before Leaving Home

Norristown, PA – With snow already visiting some areas of Pennsylvania, PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards today outlined the agency’s plans for winter services and encouraged drivers to be prepared as well.

“Our residents count on PennDOT to keep them moving regardless of the weather and we take that mission very seriously,” Richards said during a news conference at the PennDOT maintenance facility in Norristown, Montgomery County. “We have our materials and equipment in place and our staff of dedicated equipment operators, district-level staff and staff in Maintenance and Operations are ready to go.”

This winter, all of the more than 2,200 PennDOT-owned and rented plow trucks will be equipped with AVL technology — meaning the public can view the trucks on interstates and expressways this winter at www.511PA.com. PennDOT started the AVL program in 2014 in 119 plow trucks and expanded it to more than 700 trucks last winter. The AVL unit in each truck sends a cellular signal through the system showing where a truck is located and whether or how much material is being spread from the truck.

The AVL system is part of Governor Wolf’s GO-TIME initiative that leverages inter-agency coordination and collaboration to maximize efficiency, modernize state government operations, and provide the highest quality services.

The Secretary noted that PennDOT has compiled all of its information about winter series into a special page on the web site at:
http://www.penndot.gov/TravelInPA/Winter/Pages/default.aspx

The site also has a complete winter guide with detailed information about winter services in each of PennDOT’s 11 engineering districts.

With $205 million budgeted for statewide winter operations, PennDOT deploys about 4,800 on-the road workers and has more than 768,000 tons of salt on hand across the state.

The state’s snow plow trucks are equipped with computerized salt spreaders that allow operators to calibrate the exact amount of salt to be distributed regardless of the speed of the truck.

“Our equipment operators have an enormous amount of responsibility during a storm as they plow snow, monitor computers that control the flow of salt, monitor pavement temperatures, and keep their eyes on traffic and possible roadside obstacles,” Richards said. “We urge drivers to allow plenty of space to snow plow operators so they can perform their jobs effectively and safely.”

When winter weather hits, PennDOT’s primary focus is on interstates and expressways, and equipment may be redirected to those routes during significant winter events. The more traffic a roadway has, the more attention it will receive from plows, so motorists may find deeper accumulations on less-traveled routes and should adjust their driving for those conditions.

In addition to planning for traffic impacts, Richards noted that vehicle preparation is critical to safe winter travel.

If motorists encounter snow or ice-covered roads, they should slow down, increase their following distance and avoid distractions. Last winter in Pennsylvania, preliminary data shows that there were 224 crashes resulting in 103 injuries on snowy, slushy or ice-covered roadways where aggressive-driving behaviors such as speeding or making careless lane changes were factors.

Tires should also be checked often for the correct level of air pressure and adequate tire-tread depth to perform on ice and snow. A quick way to check tread depth is to insert a penny in the tread groove with Lincoln’s head upside down. If you can see the entire head, the tires are worn and traction will suffer. If you live in an area prone to heavy snow, drivers may want to consider using dedicated snow tires or carrying a set of tire chains. At a minimum, all-season tires should be rated for use in mud and snow.

Once vehicles are travel-ready, drivers should be prepared for winter or vehicle emergencies especially if long-distance travel is planned. PennDOT urges motorists to carry an emergency kit.

An emergency kit should include items such as non-perishable food, water, first-aid supplies, warm clothes, a blanket, cell phone charger and a small snow shovel. However, motorists should tailor their kits to any specific needs that they or their families may have. Consider adding such items as baby supplies, extra medication, pet supplies, or even children’s games.

For more information on PennDOT’s winter preparations and additional winter-driving resources for motorists, visit the department’s winter Web page, www.PennDOT.gov/winter.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 800 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

For more PennDOT information, visit www.penndot.gov. Follow PennDOT information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews and follow the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentoftransportation and Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot.

MEDIA CONTACT: Rich Kirkpatrick, 717-783-8800

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2016

Harrisburg, PA –  The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a drought warning for four counties and increased the number of counties on drought watch status to 30, following a meeting Wednesday of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force. 

“We’re asking residents and businesses, particularly in central and eastern counties, to use water wisely and follow simple water conservation tips to ease the demand for water,” said DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “We suggest that public water systems that implemented water restrictions this summer continue them to preserve their drinking water supplies.”

Data from the Commonwealth drought monitoring network show that dry conditions persisting in the middle of the state and lack of precipitation in the eastern part of the state have deepened precipitation deficits, resulting in extremely low stream flow and groundwater levels, particularly in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas in the Delaware River Basin.

However, to the west of the Appalachian Mountains and extending along the northern tier, above-average precipitation has improved precipitation, surface water, and ground water to normal or above normal levels.

• Drought warning: Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton Counties. Citizens are enco­uraged to voluntarily reduce their water use by 10-15 percent.
• Drought watch: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Clinton, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Union, Wayne, and York Counties. Citizens are encouraged to reduce their nonessential water use by 5 percent.
• Normal status: Potter County was moved from warning status to normal. The other counties in normal status are Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Columbia, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montour, Somerset, Susquehanna, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, and Wyoming.

A drought emergency has not been declared for any county. A drought emergency, which requires a proclamation from the Governor, calls for mandatory restrictions on nonessential water use to protect water supplies as well as public health and safety.

Through a cooperative program with the U.S. Geological Survey, DEP helps fund a statewide network of gauges to monitor groundwater levels and stream flows. This network provides the state’s drought coordinator with comprehensive data that are used to determine drought classifications. In addition to precipitation, groundwater and stream flow levels, DEP monitors soil moisture and water supply storage. The data are shared with other state and federal agency personnel on the task force.

Varying conditions under drought watch and warnings may dictate individual water suppliers or municipalities asking for more stringent conservation actions. DEP will be notifying all water suppliers in affected areas of the need to monitor their supplies and update their drought contingency plans as necessary.

• DEP encourages all citizens to take steps to reduce their water use:
• Run water only when necessary. Avoid running the faucet while brushing your teeth or shaving, or letting the shower run for several minutes before use.
• Check for household leaks. A leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water each day.
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.
• Replace older appliances with high-efficiency, front-loading models that use about 30 percent less water and 40 to 50 percent less energy.
• Install low-flow plumbing fixtures and aerators on faucets.

DEP also offers other water conservation recommendations and water audit procedures for commercial and industrial users, such as food processors, hotels and educational institutions. These recommendations and additional drought monitoring information are available on the DEP Drought Information website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Deborah Klenotic (717) 783-9954 or (717) 649-9136

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