Salt Shortage Limits Small Town Response to Storm

By Dave Franzman, Reporter

Tools

By Dave Franzman

Story Created: Feb 25, 2008 at 4:06 PM CST

Story Updated: Feb 25, 2008 at 5:12 PM CST

CENTER POINT- Some small towns in Eastern Iowa are about to battle the latest round of winter weather without much snow and ice-melting ammunition left.

TV9 contacted a number of smaller communities about salt supplies left after a snowy and icy winter. None reported being completely out. But several have very limited amounts and when that's gone there's really no where to buy or borrow more.

One example is Center Point. That community has enough salt and sand mixed together for about two storms. Crews are using it very sparingly to stretch the supply as long as possible.

One resident, Mitch Weideman, said "I don't know if it will make too much of a difference the rest of the year. Hopefully, we have only a couple of weeks left--we should be ok."

In nearby Urbana, what's contained under a small tarp is all the salt and sand for the rest of the winter. Public works employees say it's probably about enough for one more storm. They can spread sand on streets for traction...but that won't help melt any snow or ice.

Smaller towns can't buy any more from the county or state garages because there's none to spare. And one public works director tells TV9 that the only extra road salt supply he's found is in Kansas...and would cost about $100 a ton to ship to Eastern Iowa. That amount is nearly triple what road departments are paying now.

It may sound like wishful thinking to hope for an early spring this year. But because low temperatures are rising at this time of year, towns shouldn't need as much salt to melt snow and ice for the rest of the winter. And, anyway, there's not much workers can do about it.

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