Ohio city runs out of salt, closes roads (since reopened)
Stretched, but not broken. That was the US salt industry stance in re-supplying its snowstorm-beset customers this winter. Some agencies proudly announced they were dealing with record snowfall without fear of adequate salt, but for the past couple weeks, more and more agencies' salt supplies were so depleted that they were lowering service levels, mixing sand into their salt and burning up the phone lines to their salt suppliers. None actually ran out of salt until Thursday when Steubenville, OH, exhausted its available salt in the middle of yet-another storm. Until an emergency "loan" of salt from OH DOT, the city resorted to closing two major streets entirely so they would have salt sufficient to keep their other arteries flowing smoothly. Resupply was scheduled to arrive today.
In times of stress and strain, facing difficult choices, Steubenville acted prudently. The episode underscores the often-neglected but resounding imperative of effective winter maintenance and the essential role of salt as a primary weapon in the war against winter.
