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Crews using more salt this winter

By Evan Bevins 3 min read

PARKERSBURG -- The city of Parkersburg's salt supply was down to about 100 tons Tuesday when its refills couldn't be delivered, ironically, because of road conditions.

"They got so much ice that their trucks couldn't even go anywhere," Parkersburg Public Works Director Everett Shears said.

The city was able to secure 450 tons of salt locally Tuesday and expects to have the original order delivered soon. But Parkersburg and government entities around the Mid-Ohio Valley have used a lot more salt this winter than last.

"We didn't hardly use any last year at all," Shears said. "You just never know what you're going to get here in the Mid-Ohio Valley."

From Nov. 19, 2019, to March 20, 2020, the West Virginia Division of Highways used 6,120 tons of salt to treat state roads in District 3.

As of Tuesday, with more than a month left in the same period, more than three times that amount has been applied to state roads in Wood, Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasant, Ritchie, Roane and Wirt counties.

The district had more than 20,000 tons on hand around Thanksgiving, District 3 Engineer Justin Smith said Tuesday. With multiple snow events since right before Christmas, the district has gotten a refill and still has its salt storage facility at the Wood County headquarters off West Virginia 95 about 70 percent empty.

Whether it's a heavy accumulation or a "nuisance snow," the number of events start to add up, Smith said.

"Those little 1-inch, 2-inch snowfalls … we put as much salt out and have as many crews out as if it was a 6-inch snowfall," he said.

There have been 20,529 tons of salt used so far, often mixed with sand and other materials to provide traction. Smith said the district has spent 80 percent of its snow removal/ice control budget this fiscal year and expects to receive 11,000 additional tons of salt in the near future to replenish its supplies ahead of next winter.

This time last year, Ohio Department of Transportation District 10 had used 1,021 tons of salt to treat its roads in Washington County, according to Ashley Rittenhouse, public information officer for the district.

This winter, the tally is 5,900 tons and counting, she said. The district still has 5,200 tons of salt on hand in Washington County, between its main garage in Marietta and outposts in Bartlett, Belpre and Macksburg.

"While we've definitely used more salt this winter, we don't have concerns about the supply," Rittenhouse said. "We have plenty on hand. We are constantly monitoring the supply and ordering more as needed."

Throughout District 10 -- which also includes Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble and Vinton counties -- ODOT crews have used 40,000 tons of salt, compared to 6,300 at the same time last year, she said. There are 23,000 tons of salt on hand for the district.

Washington County uses about 1,500 tons of salt to treat its roads in a rough winter, county Engineer Roger Wright said. They've used 1,511 so far.

"While you're starting to see a hole in the salt supply … we still have close to 400 tons on hand," he said.

The county usually applies a mixture that's one-third salt and two-thirds grit to its roads, Wright said. Since Dec. 16, crews have used 6,526 tons of that mix.

The county ordered an additional 550 tons of salt in the fall.

"At first, we were worried we weren't going to have enough room for that salt," Wright said. "But that's no longer a concern."

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