During snowstorms, the City salts and plows more than 1,500 miles of roadway – major roads, residential streets, cul-de-sacs, alleys and parking lots. It also clears sidewalks around fire hydrants and meters.
To reduce environmental pollution and save salt, labor hours, and reduce costs associated with storms, the City employs anti-icing applications prior to storms – known as “Salt Smart.”
Less Salt
Due to a shortage of salt, many communities are switching over to “Salt Smart” winter maintenance practices that use less traditional deicing strategies that cause chloride runoff into local waterways.
Anti-icing treatments used on roads help stop ice from bonding to pavement and melting during storms, thus decreasing the amount of deicing salt necessary to clear away roadways after storms, as well as overall use. Liquid anti-icing solutions can even be applied during regular working hours; their longer lasting properties means that less is wasted.
Days prior to a snow event, the City will spread a brine solution on roads to prevent the formation of ice. A ton of salt used for this purpose can cover six miles of roadway; this enables us to use less salt during a snowfall and decreases theft and waste. Furthermore, eco-friendly geo-melt blends are being investigated along with wetting salt before application to further minimize chemical consumption.
Less Water Pollution
Winter storms often see salt, de-icing chemicals and abrasives wash off roads into nearby rivers and streams, polluting both wildlife and drinking water supplies. Many communities have implemented improved maintenance practices like anti-icing, restricting cul-de-sac salting and other strategies known as Salt Smart to limit how much chloride-based products enter local waterways through road runoff.
Naperville’s public works crews utilize chemical anti-icing treatments on roads prior to any expected snow event, to keep ice from bonding to pavement and reduce the need for additional salt after storms have passed. This saves both money and labor hours as well as helping to reduce environmental pollution caused by chloride-based products that enter local waterways.
Residents are invited to participate in the Salt Smart program by clearing sidewalks around fire hydrants and water meters and refraining from running sump pumps on streets and sidewalks – this helps ensure pedestrians’ safety while decreasing the likelihood of salt or other de-icing chemicals being washed into storm sewers, lakes, rivers or streams.
Less Labor
Anti-icing allows the City to keep streets clear during regular working hours while cutting overtime costs significantly. By preventing ice from bonding to pavement, less material needs to be removed post storm and waste generated compared with traditional deicing strategies; additionally anti-icing uses 1/4 of the salt required by standard deicing strategies thus further reducing labor and environmental costs.
Ware Landscaping provides professional snow and ice removal services to residential clients throughout Naperville and Northeastern Illinois, using a priority plowing system for arterials and main streets and residential side streets, cul-de-sacs, alleys as part of phase two snow removal. Residents should clear snow from their driveways rather than deposit it on streets as this poses safety concerns for drivers and pedestrians, not to mention violations against City ordinance. We take pride in offering these services throughout Naperville and Northeastern Illinois region!
Less Waste
Anti-icing applications are both more cost- and eco-efficient than traditional deicing, as they’re applied during regular working hours, thus cutting overtime costs. Furthermore, liquid deicing solutions only go where necessary unlike solid rock salt that bounces off vehicles and spreads onto other areas of the road. Finally, since anti-icing is a preventive strategy rather than reactive one there will be far less cleanup after storms than would otherwise be necessary with standard deicing applications – just look at those lines! They’re part of Salt Smart approach that save money, reduce labor and improve environmental impact!