On a snowy winter day, the employees of the city of La Crosse Street Department are up and out plowing the streets by 1 a.m. to beat the morning traffic. These people work tirelessly to make sure the streets are safe for drivers in winter months.
Over the past year, the department has been more conscientious about how much road salt is used because the salt ultimately ends up as runoff into the river. The road salt can cause harm to freshwater resources — destroying aquatic life, disrupting ecosystems, getting into groundwater and corroding pipes.
“We are trying to be more like the county and other municipalities in having our plows plowing all the time when we’re salting,” said Troy Schmutzer, interim superintendent of the street department. “In the past we’ve just been salting because we can get rid of the snow that way. But we’re trying to use less salt by putting our plows down.”
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Schmutzer went on to explain that when the plowing is completed first, the road conditions can then be evaluated to see if salt is needed. This is different from past practice when salting would occur regardless.
While this year has been an average year for plowing, Schmutzer said the department has needed to salt more than usual with the warmer weather leading to more rainfall. Salting after a rain storm prevents the water from freezing in cold temperatures.
Another way the city is reducing road salt usage is by spraying brine on the streets as a pretreatment before a predicted snow storm. The brine is a mixture of 23.6% salt and the rest is water.
Brine helps precondition the roads for easier snow removal and less road salt usage. This truck holds a tank of brine on it's bed; the vehicle is dual-purpose and the tank can be removed for other uses.
“What that’s supposed to do is prevent ice pack,” Schmutzer said. “So we put that down, we get our snow and when our plows come up, hopefully the snow all peels up and then we don’t have to put so much salt on the roads. So that’s something we’re really excited about.”
Currently, the city purchases the brine mixture from the county. But next year, the city has budgeted a brine making machine for the street department. Schmutzer said it will make the department more efficient to make the brine in-house.
Brine is also used to pre-wet the road salt so it activates faster and sticks to the streets during distribution.
“The brine makes our salt go farther, saves money and then less runoff to the river, which is something that we take very seriously being on the river,” Schmutzer said.
A lot of time and thought goes into the process before the trucks are sent out. Schmutzer said there are a lot of variables — storm conditions, if the storm is still going, how many staff are available, outside temperature — when determining if plowing, salting, brining or a combination of all three is needed.
“No two storms are alike,” Schmutzer said. “The time and effort that the crews put into making the streets look as good as they do and as safe as they are is important for people to recognize.”
Depending on the storm, Schmutzer said it can take anywhere between four and 10 hours to clear all the roads. The crews start on the main roads like Losey Boulevard and Third and Fourth streets. Then they clear the “secondary streets” like Main, State and Campbell. Lastly, crews will sand-salt the residential roads which is a combination of 5% salt and 95% sand.
One problem that inhibits Schmutzer and his team from clearing the roads is when residents don’t move their cars to the appropriate side of the street during alternate-street parking times.
“If cars aren’t moved, there’s not a lot we can do about it. It’s unfortunate for the residents that do follow the rules,” Schmutzer said. “Right now with how hard and frozen it is there’s just nothing that we’re going to be able to do to get that up right now.
“If everybody complied with alternate-side parking, it would be great,” he continued.
La Crosse Street Department has eight motor graders for snow removal, the youngest vehicle is 9 years old and the oldest is 36 years. The department is looking to get an additional grader next year.
Currently, the department has eight motor graders for plowing, three brine trucks and over 30 trucks that plow and salt. Schmutzer said most of their vehicles are multi-purpose and can hold brine containers if need be.
The department is looking into getting a new motor grader since their oldest one is turning 37 years old this year. The city budgeted a new grader in the 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Budget.
A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town has predicted six more weeks of winter during an annual Groundhog Day celebration. People gathered Thursday at Gobbler's Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil's "inner circle" summoned him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow — and they say he did. According to folklore, if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, spring comes early. The "inner circle" is a group of local dignitaries who are responsible for planning the events, as well as feeding and caring for Phil himself. The annual event in Punxsutawney, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, originated from a German legend about a furry rodent. The gathering annually attracts thousands. This year, Phil's prediction came during a week when a mess of ice, sleet and snow has lingered across much of the southern U.S. According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers said. The 2021 and 2022 forecasts also called for six more weeks of winter.
Chloe Hilles
Local Government Reporter
Chloe Hilles is the local government reporter at the La Crosse Tribune and a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She can be reached at @chloehilles on Twitter or (608) 769-7303.
