Last year, Ohio salt suppliers had a difficult time meeting significantly higher demand for road salt, but the salt industry is ready for 2009-2010, according to a story in the Plain Dealer .
Snow is possible in Northeast Ohio in October, but motorists will be relieved that this year those plows will have plenty of salt to spread.
A mild 2008 winter allowed salt companies to replenish their stockpiles.
And ODOT and other agencies sought bids for this winter in March to ensure they would receive salt.
"Salt supplies are good this year and obviously it will depend on how the winter plays out, but at this point, we see the supply situation being good," said Mark Klein, spokesman for Cargill, which operates a salt mine in Cleveland.
Last winter, many secondary and side roads went unsalted as state and local officials scrambled for salt, even considering buying it from overseas suppliers. It was particularly frustrating because two major salt suppliers operate mines in the state: Cargill and Morton Salt in Fairport Harbor.
The harsh winter across the Midwest in 2007 had depleted stockpiles at salt companies. In the summer of 2008, when bids were requested by ODOT and Ohio cities, Cargill and Morton refused to bid on some contracts.
The refusal resulted not because there was a shortage of salt in the mines, but because the firms couldn't supply the tons of salt in time for the first snowfall. Other states had laid claim to the salt by submitting bids earlier in the year.