RICE LAKE, Wis. -- The city of Rice Lake is asking everyone in town to continuously run a steady stream of water--about a pencil-width--from at least one faucet until further notice.

Rice Lake Utilities manager Scott Reimer says the city is trying to avoid the costly damage of frozen pipes.

Reimer says wasting millions of gallons of water--an estimated 4 and half million--is something no one wants to do... but it's the lesser of two evils.

He says city crews have already been called to about a dozen homes with frozen pipes and that can cost the city more than $10,000 to dig down and thaw the pipes.

The city plans to reimburse utility customers for the extra water use.

The city is asking residents to keep the water running until the frost in the ground thaws--which could be as late as March.