“They have to understand it’s not going to look like it has in the past as far as clear roads right away. We just don’t have the resources and funding to do it,” said Bressler. “Our reaction time may look like it’s not as quick as it is but we’ve got to be able to pace ourselves through the entire winter.”
Bressler says while most municipalities have road salt in their bins, he was surprised to learn there are a few communities that do not.
Officials say one county in northern Ohio may have to use sand and grit due to lack of salt. Butler County has 13,000 tons of salt on hand, which it shares with Fairfield Twp. Last winter, according to Bressler, the county used approximately 10,000 tons of salt, which is significantly more than the average of 8,000 tons.
In an effort to make the salt last longer several communities are using liquids like brine and beet juice to help clear snowy roads.
“In Montgomery County, we pre-wet every load, every drop of salt that comes out in the back of the truck even if it’s 33 degrees, we pre-wet. It makes a splat and stays on the pavement … we’re big users of chemicals,” said Tim Nelson of the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office.
“We started to get into beet juice and brine mix, started to use that more than calcium because it’s cheaper and has a larger residual on the road,” said Bressler.
Lisa Koppin, with Southwest Ohio Purchaser for Government, says Ohio isn’t the only state that has a salt supply crisis.
“As salt companies were filling for spring, what they usually do in the offseason is reload the stock pile we work off of and they don’t have the stock pile we work off of this year,” said Koppin.
Bressler encourages municipalities to share resources and to help each other get through the upcoming winter.
“We’ll share our infrastructure and we make brine and beet juice and transport it to them,” said Bressler.
Bressler isn’t just concerned about lack of salt moving forward, he’s also worried about finances.
“Revenue hasn’t changed, our revenue is the same as what it was 10 years ago because of license plate fees and gasoline taxes … that’s less road we’re paving, our construction dollars for roads have gone up so we’re trying to stretch out as much as we can,” he said.
The salt shortage is also impacting private companies, Bressler said landscaping companies have contacted him asking if he can sell them salt. Bressler warns drivers that some private parking lots may not be as clear as last winter.
He adds that while drivers will attack the main roads first, residential roads may take longer to clear this upcoming winter.
On Oct. 21, the Butler County Engineer’s Office will host a snow summit, officials will inform members of the Butler County EMA, Sheriff’s Department and school leaders about the salt crisis and their plans on how to deal with the problem.
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