How to Get Rid of Piles of Snow

A new breed of mound builders is hitting the MFL area, or so it would seem. (MFL is three cities in Northeast Iowa, Farmersburg, Monona and Luana),

As the weather continues the piles of snow that litter the MFL area and predominantly Farmersburg, are becoming less attractive. What initially looks like a treasure trove for would-be snowman builders, is turning into unsightly brown mounds.

If I didn't know any better, being in the Midwest, where we have the largest amount of mounds in one area, I would think that we had some mound building copycats.

Huge mounds of snow litter the sidewalks of Farmersburg and I even saw a huge pile on Main Street in Monona. While Monona already has a way of dealing with residents and businesses that accumulate snow in this fashion, as does Elkader, Farmersburg will implement charges for removal upon its peoples as of Feb. 17.

The question is though, just what do you do with all that snow? Where can you go with it? Is it your fault that the heavens chose to open up and let you have it? It certainly will be the responsibility of the culprit to compensate anyone injured due to the tardy behavior of just piling it on the sidewalk, or worse still, not bothering to move it at all.

It is unfortunate for those who are not physically fit, and it must be a terrible expense to constantly have it removed.

But back to the question of what to do with all that snow. I thought that pouring boiling hot water over it and melting it could be one solution?

My father, many moons ago, would get the ice off his windscreen on a freezing Scottish morning by boiling the kettle and pouring it over it. Contrary to what one would expect, it didn't crack the windscreen.

The problem with just melting the snow away, I imagine, could be a dangerous icy mess. However, it would no longer be a large pile of snow.

The Farmersburg City Council will charge $50 per hour to remove these large piles of snow, 48 hours after a snowfall, beginning Feb. 17. Snow on sidewalks that has not been cleared, within the same time frame, will be removed at a charge of $15 per hour.