Sterling considers banning outdoor furnaces

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STERLING - People might need to stick with conventional heat sources as temperatures begin to drop. The City Council tonight will consider banning outdoor wood-burning furnaces within the city. At this point, there are no wood-burning furnaces within the city limits and a few outside of the city, said City Manager Scott Shumard; however, city staff members have received some inquiries about the boilers because of rising energy costs. City staff believe that these types of boilers are best suited for less densely populated areas because of the safety and health risks the smoke will produce, Shumard said. The risks are the same from leaf burning, which Sterling has also banned, Shumard said. Rock Falls recently adopted an ordinance that allows the use of outdoor wood-burning furnaces, but attached restrictions to make them difficult to use. The Rock Falls ordinance specifies only untreated wood, wood pellets, corn products, or biomass pellets can be burned in wood furnaces. Rock Falls also requires furnaces to be at least 100 feet from any house that does not have an indoor furnace. It also requires the chimney of the furnace be at least 2 feet above the peak of any residence within 300 feet of the furnace. To attend The Sterling City Council will meet at 6:30 tonight in the Coliseum, 212 Third Ave.