SEATTLE - It usually goes something like this: Seattle gets a little snow. It gradually turns to slush, then it freezes and voila! Road ice!
In this case, we've had several days of sub-freezing temperatures but it's been amazingly dry; no rain since November 30.
So, why are Seattle Transportation crews spending their days removing ice from city roads?
"What you're seeing are ground water springs which are a relatively common occurrence in the City of Seattle," explained City Transportation Department Spokesman Rick Sheridan. "Typically they are seen in areas that are hilly, like Queen Anne or West Seattle."
The springs bubble up year round, but nobody seems to notice or care about a wet Seattle street until freezes. Ice from groundwater springs is blamed for several accidents, including one near Queen Anne last night that left debris all over the roadside and a fire hydrant dangerously close to rupturing, which would have created a much less natural icy road.
Over the years city crews have tried to install pipes or drainage gutters to direct flows from groundwater springs away from traffic, but Sheridan says they often flow across roadways, freeze up and then city crews have to chip them away or apply a new salt brine solution which can melt it or be used as a preventative measure.
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