Low-salt diet no fad: Lessons learned last winter still apply

Second of a two-part series

With salt in good supply and at a more reasonable cost, the panic of last season has passed. But it taught a lasting lesson to those charged with clearing the streets.

As a proven way to save money and help protect the environment, the area's lower-salt diet is expected to continue this winter. Though winter is months away, local officials have recently decided how much salt they'll buy for 2009-10.

"Last year was an anomaly," acknowledged Rick Curneal, legislative director for the 36-member DuPage Mayors & Managers Conference. "But especially after last year, we've been looking for ways to spend less on salt. This was really an impetus to get serious."

The hurt was acute in Lake and McHenry counties, but other entities throughout the area also paid more than triple the traditional price for salt - nearly $140 a ton - during a second consecutive harsh winter.

With supplies short because of heavy use during the snowy season of 2007-08 and other factors, many road crews were forced to adjust on the fly to conserve what they had and shave expenses.

In some cases, that meant salting less and abandoning traditional "bare pavement" policies to instead make roads passable and safe, but with a reasonable amount of inconvenience.

At about $60 to $70 a ton this year, salt prices remain higher than what many communities had been used to, but supplies already have been secured.

For the upcoming season, salt bids were sent to vendors by the state's Department of Central Management Services in May, two months earlier than last year. Securing supplies sooner was one of several changes made in the state bidding process after review by the offices of the Illinois Attorney General and Auditor General as well as input from those affected by the high prices. About 700 entities this year secured salt through CMS.

While the figurative storm has passed, changes in how and when salt is applied or used in tandem with other substances, like beet juice, are becoming part of the standard operating procedure.

"In terms of salt usage, you'll see a change in philosophy," said Dave Lawry, general services group director for the city of Elgin.

Elgin did not get stung with high prices last year but continued a program of not salting when it was snowing and salting only intersections on residential streets. The city used 20 percent less salt per mile. "You've got to change driver expectations," Lawry said.

Mundelein Public Works Director Ken Miller was a leader in a consortium of about 75 Lake and McHenry County agencies that twice last year received no bids for salt and were forced to buy it at more than triple the typical price. "Mundelein is going to continue with conservation. It did work well, and in these economic times, it's probably good to continue," he said.

The village was one of the more tenacious salt-savers, using 60 percent less than during the 2007-08 winter season while cutting overtime by about a third.

"Through the conservation methods we also significantly reduced our personnel costs from last year," Miller said. "A lot of other communities saw that, too."

In Libertyville, Public Works Director John Heinz, who also had a lead role in the panel, said he'll order as much salt this year as in prior years but will recommend continuing last year's modified salting guidelines.

"Most towns are trying to move into the alternatives that have been used pretty successfully in the past year," he said.

The Lake County Division of Transportation has used liquids for years to extend the effectiveness of salt and is fine-tuning its practices.

A new blending building and tank farm will hold and precisely dispense quantities of salt brine, calcium chloride and beet juice to be combined as a super mix sprayed on salt as it leaves the hopper of a truck.

The proportions easily can be changed to deal most effectively with various weather conditions, and trucks can be filled faster.

The facilities also include equipment for home cooking, so to speak, and the county doubled its storage capacity with a new $890,000 salt dome.

"We're making our own salt brine. It's a lot cheaper than hauling salt water," said Kevin Kerrigan, who is in charge of plowing and salting for Lake County.

Will other municipalities continue or expand the programs they used when salt was at a premium and there was a shortage?

"It's kind of a hybrid answer," said Mark Fowler, executive director of the Northwest Municipal Conference, which has nearly 50 members in Lake and Cook counties. "I think we'll see some of the measures that they used when there was a shortage hang around."

Whether these practices will clash with public expectations when the snow flies might cause some to reconsider, although those involved in the issue reported few complaints from motorists.

"The problem is do you expect your road with a cul-de-sac to be the same level of service as a freeway? Each one kind of sets their own thing, and there's no consistency," said Mark DeVries, maintenance superintendent for the McHenry County Department of Transportation.

DeVries has become the expert in the field. As the winter maintenance chair for the American Public Works Association, he speaks extensively throughout the region and country, and will travel today to Argentina with a contingent to observe and make recommendations on how that country can improve the way it deals with snow and ice.

"I did a lot of training on calibration: 'Do you know what's coming out of the back of your truck?'" DeVries said. "The price of salt should not have any bearing on how you do your job."

Plans are under way to develop standard guidelines and training so practices will be consistent throughout the county. At some point, certification might be required for drivers.

"Basically, it's sensible salting," DeVries said. "Using what's needed to treat what's there."

That idea is expected to intensify, particularly in McHenry and DuPage counties, where there is an effort to reduce salt in waterways.

"The whole Chicago area is in a chlorine reduction mode. We're not trying to pollute the rivers," explained John Kawka, manager of highway operations for the DuPage County Division of Transportation.

Chloride, a principal ingredient in salt, can hinder the ability of plants to absorb water and nutrients, which can affect fish and other organisms.

"In general, pretty much everyone is trying to use less," said to Andrea Cline, water resource specialist for the Naperville-based Conservation Foundation.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=312568">Part 1: Despite salt shortages, study shows drop in suburban winter collisions <span class="date">[8/09/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>