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Winter Road Maintenance Operations Seminar
In late October, New
Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA)
partnered with the Public Works Association of New Jersey (PWANJ)
and The Salt Institute to
present “Winter Maintenance Operations” to over 170 Public Works
employees. This workshop is one of the ways that NJWSA is working to
reduce non-point source pollution as part of the Targeted Watershed
Grant that we received along with Stony-Brook Millstone Watershed
Association from the US EPA. Additional
grant partners include the South Branch Watershed Association and the NJ
Department of Environmental Protection.
NJWSA wants to ensure that everyone has access to the latest
information about safely maintaining roads during the winter in a cost
effective way that minimizes the impact on the environment.
The
half-day course was held in Camden County on October 26, 2004 and in
Somerset County the following day.
Dan Van Abs, Manager of NJWSA’s Watershed Protection Unit,
introduced the seminar with an explanation of the effect of de-icing
materials on water quality in the Raritan Basin and beyond.
Paul McCall, Supervisor
of Somerset County Roads and Bridges, acted as moderator and gave a
presentation on plowing equipment and techniques.
Dick Hanneman, President
of The Salt Institute, was the featured speaker.
Hanneman
stressed the efficient use of salt and other ice removal chemicals.
He explained the advantages and disadvantages of different types
of chemicals and abrasives, how they work, how to determine their
application rates, and their storage needs.
Hanneman emphasized anti-icing, regularly calibrating spreaders,
and using pre-wet or liquid chemicals as three ways to ensure the most
effective use of materials. Anti-icing
is the proactive practice of spreading material (Sodium Chloride,
Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, Calcium Magnesium Acetate, etc.)
before a storm to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the road.
It is more efficient than the reactive practice of de-icing
during or after a storm. Waiting
until after a storm has started to begin applying material allows snow
and ice to bond to the road. Once
this has occurred, it takes more material and time to break the bond and
achieve melting. Anti-icing
can reduce chemical use by 50 to 80%.
A
lot of effort goes into determining the appropriate application rates
for different conditions, but that effort could be wasted if the
spreaders are not calibrated. While
spreaders come factory calibrated, they should be re-calibrated at least
once a year. Ideally, the
calibration should be checked two or three times each winter.
One course participant pointed out that after calibrating his
spreader, he realized that he had been putting twice the amount of salt
on the road as he had intended. This
wastes money and resources and puts an unnecessary strain on the
environment. The opposite
can happen as well, leading to a situation where not enough material is
reaching the roadway. This
could become a liability if the road conditions cause an accident.
There
are a few reasons why pre-wetted salt or brine are recommended over
granular salt in many conditions.
Pre-wetted salt and brine have less bounce and scatter and a
faster reaction time than granular salt, which means less salt is needed
to do the job. One Michigan
Highway Department study found that 78% of pre-wetted salt stayed on the
center third of a roadway, while only 46% of dry salt stayed in the
center. In addition to
staying on the road, pre-wetted salt and brine work more quickly than
granular salt because salt needs to dissolve into solution before
melting can occur. These key messages were well received by the Public Works employees who attended the classes. Forty-three percent of the post-program surveys indicated that participants intend to change their practices because of the course. The most common expected change is to add anti-icing to their operations. The calibration message also proved to be important. Only 40% of the participants said that they currently calibrate their spreaders. Forty-eight percent do not currently calibrate and 12% left the question blank. The popularity of the courses and the reactions of the participants demonstrated that there is a continuing need to provide similar educational opportunities.
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