Montgomery County treating roads ahead of storm, encouraging people to use salt wisely
ROCKVILLE, Md. (DC News Now) — Montgomery County has already started treating roads in preparation for Saturday’s storm.
Crews are using salt judiciously and encouraging residents to do the same.
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The county has 200 plow routes and 5,200 miles of road. Because the storm is expected to start as snow, officials want to ensure it doesn’t freeze so they’re using salt brine to treat the blacktop.
“That brine will help us get through the first few hours of any snowstorm,” said Chris Conklin, director of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation.
Conklin said Thursday afternoon that 40% of main roads have been salt brined.
“The rest will be done tomorrow so they should all be passable through the storm. It looks like the storm will turn to rain so that we won’t be using plows and spreading rock salt,” Conklin said.
Officials want the public to be cognizant of the environment at home. All that’s needed is a coffee cup full of salt that’s about 12 ounces and can cover ten sidewalk squares or a 20-foot driveway.
That means a little salt goes a long way.
It’s part of the county’s “Salt Wise” campaign, getting people to realize that all the salt getting put down on the ground eventually ends up in the waterways, affecting fish and even drinking water.
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“We have a very good drinking water filtration systems to make sure that the water’s coming out of the Potomac is filtered before it comes to our tap,” said Jon Monger, director of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. “But ultimately, everything also runs into from here, either the Potomac or Patuxent River and ultimately down into the Chesapeake Bay, so we really want to be cognizant of what we’re putting in our storm drains.”
The Salt Wise campaign is a simple three-step method for residents to keep sidewalks and driveways safe while also reducing harm to the environment.
Shovel ice and snow early and often.
Use one 12-ounce cup of salt for 10 sidewalk squares or for a 20-foot driveway.
After storm events, sweep up excess salt for reuse.
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