Snow Plowing In Winter Storms To Be Revised In Montgomery County

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Montgomery County will implement new initiatives during the 2019-2020 winter storm season to make snow removal operations more sustainable, officials said.

At the county's annual "Snow Summit" Wednesday, County Executive Marc Elrich joined transportation and park officials to unveil the plan, which includes using less salt on roads and outfitting snow plows with rubber-tip blades.

"One of the challenges MCDOT faces during snow storms is finding the right balance for use of salt — applying enough to make roads safe and protect the lives of travelers while also minimizing water quality and other environmental impacts," officials said in a statement.

Road salt is an effective deicer. But it's also a hazard to both ecosystems and human health, according to The Earth Institute at Columbia University. Millions of tons of salt have been used in the United States; and when salt accumulates, it can seep into wells and other groundwater sources that supply people with clean water.

"Salt is something of a ticking time bomb for freshwater," Earth Institute adjunct professor Paul Gallay said in a December 2018 blog post. "Studies suggest that the increasing concentrations we see in many places may be the result of road salt spread decades ago, which reached groundwater, and is only now slowly reaching surface waters."

To further reduce salt usage, and to better protect the health of residents, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) said it is making the following changes:

• Modifying contracts to increase salt application compliance and include responsibility for post-storm cleanup of salt spillage
• MCDOT calibrating and inspecting subcontractors' equipment to prevent unnecessary salt application
• MCDOT inspecting all routes after storm events to identify and remove excess salt

The county will also be using brine, an alternative to salt, on the roads. Salt brine is a mix of 80 percent water and 20 percent salt. Using it before a snow storm, officials say, can "significantly reduce the amount of salt required to treat roads after a storm."

"I am confident that the improvements MCDOT is making this season to better manage salt application will reduce impacts on the environment," said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. "Salt management is just one part of effective and efficient snow removal that is absolutely essential to our County's economy and the safety of our residents and businesses."

In addition to monitoring salt usage, MCDOT says it will start outfitting snow plows with rubber-tipped blades. Plows typically use metal-tipped blades, which can damage the road if there's less than three inches of snow. Rubber-tipped blades, however, lets trucks plow sooner — and without salt.

MCDOT has seven regional depots and is responsible for clearing snow along 220 plow routes on more than 5,200 lane miles of county roads, according to officials. The Maryland State Highway Administration is in charge of clearing state roads in the county — including Georgia Avenue (MD 97), Connecticut Avenue (MD 185), and Frederick Road (MD 355).

During the winter storm season, residents can see which residential streets and major roadways and getting plowed in real-time: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/snow/.

"MCDOT knows the importance to the public of getting snow removal right — and the importance of maintaining our basic infrastructure and keeping our roads and neighborhoods in great shape," said Highway Services Division Chief Richard Dorsey.