Snow, Salt, Beets and Patience...

Written by Brett Williford

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

Rate this item

(2 votes)

Brine Truck

In early November 2014, the City of Beavercreek Road Department invited members of the press to see how they've prepared for the upcoming winter, and those to come. Being a limited service city, our administrators are continually looking down the road, pun intended, at the newest methods to provide the exceptional service we the citizens demand within the budget that we insist upon.

This year poses a unique challenge - lack of available road salt. During the past winter many municipalities had ill-prepared for the number of snow events and were completely overwhelmed. Riverside, our neighbors to the northwest, exhausted their entire supply in December and were relegated to plowing alone for the remainder of the winter.

The city of Beavercreek typically stockpiles approximately 3,000 tons of road salt for the winter season, with a second 3,000 tons being purchased mid-season. This year they've crammed 4,500 tons into the salt barn - that's NINE MILLION POUNDS for those of you in Rio Linda. The city buys what they can store, no more. Suppliers have warned that it's highly likely that no further salt will be available this season. As a point of reference, 8,000 tons was used last winter.

Lack of availability additionally leads to higher prices, Economics 101. The price of road salt has increased dramatically; last year, road salt cost $54.34 per ton, this year's early bird price came in at $99.43 per ton. Supplies at the seaport are currently selling at $110 per ton for those who can get it. Secondary market road salt is selling as high as $150 per ton! Efficiency and effectiveness have been getting significant attention for some time. How do we do provide the same service with less salt?

Chemistry, Technology, Horticulture, Training and Patience.

Brine - For several years you've seen the tanker truck on our streets drizzling salt water from a dozen or so little tubes on the back. Pre-treating the road accomplishes several things:

During sleet and ice it establishes a salt solution on the asphalt that will initiate the melting process on contact.
During medium to major snowfalls, the pre-treated roads allow crews the extra ability to get right into plowing and salting their routes, accelerating a safe path to your driveway.
Dried brine stripes on the roadway have a significantly longer life span than pre-treating with granulated road salt.

Plowing - At nearly $150,000 apiece, Beavercreek's snowplows are absolute cutting-edge. They are highly maneuverable featuring multi-directional plows, efficient augers and spinners designed to maximize efficiency. If you think about it, the same machinery that clears the five lanes of North Fairfield Road also scrapes the narrow, winding roads of the Wallaby and Country Acre plats.

Horticulture - Yes, horticulture. This year the Beavercreek Road Department is rolling out the Penguins! The Penguin trucks are utilizing an emerging treatment for road clearing, beet juice. Yes, beet juice. The Penguin trucks (image below) feature a 150 gallon tank on the rear tailgate that pre-treats the salt prior to it hitting the spinner. Why you ask?

Beet juice on the road salt prevents it from 'bouncing' so much when it hits the street. Less salt, equal coverage.
Beet juice increases the action of the road salt as it initiates the 'melting' chemical reaction prior to it even hitting the road.
Beet juices increases the lifespan of the salt on the road by increasing the effectiveness from -5°F (untreated road salt) to -20°F!!
Most amazing, the combination of benefits with the Penguin's beet juice applicator can reduce consumption of road salt from 700 pounds per mile to 300 pounds per mile - garnering an additional 1.3 miles out of the same amount of salt!!

Training - The road department's 33 drivers are truly second to none, they care about you, your property and your safe travel. They're prepared to stay awake 24 hours a day, everyday, from mid-December through March! Sincerely, each is thoroughly trained and recognizes the critical job they do for us all. The 17 plows require very specialized skill sets, route modeling and pride of performance to clear the 550 lane miles within the city limits alone. They're well aware that they are clearing the way for everyone - from your trip to the grocery for milk to the ambulance hustling to the Soin Medical Center.

Patience - What can residents do to assist the road department's efforts? Avoiding parking on the street and have patience, especially this year. With a limited supply of salt and the anticipation of a second consecutive polar vortex, each snow event is going to be managed with an eye toward the next one. This winter, all of the main roads and thoroughfares will be plowed and salted as usual, while neighborhood streets will be brined and plowed only. Under extreme conditions, everything may be salted. This will conserve a great deal of salt for the entire season and no one should be more than about 1,300 feet from a salted surface.

We're fortunate to have them on our side! They're truly looking out for our safety and our wallets. A special thank you to John Woltja, Beavercreek Street Superintendent, City Manager Mike Cornell, City Council Member Melissa Litteral and the entire road crew for hosting the event!

Here's a fantastic news segment courtesy of WDTN and meteorologist Tara Hastings that demonstrates how difficult maneuvering a snow plow can be!

Here's a piece we presented when the brining process was new.