As cities and towns prepare for a winter storm to bring ice, sleet and heavy snow to much of the United States this weekend, some places are finding themselves in desperate need of one essential item: road salt.
“This has never happened in the 33 years that I’ve been involved in government,” said Mayor Brian C. Wahler of Piscataway, N.J.
Cities and towns rely on private contractors to deliver the rock salt that they use to treat roads and highways before snow and ice storms. For reasons that are unclear to Mr. Wahler, towns across New Jersey, where more than a foot of snow is expected this weekend, haven’t received any deliveries for more than three weeks.
“Since we’ve had successive storms in the last two weeks, it has depleted a lot of our supplies,” he said. Piscataway’s salt storage dome can hold 4,500 tons of rock salt, he said, “and right now, we only have about 500 tons left.”
“That’s enough maybe to do a few intersections,” he said.
Mr. Wahler said he has sent four large trucks to Port Newark, where salt is transported from upstate New York, to pick up salt in preparation for the weekend storm. He said that Piscataway also planned to make its own salt brine material to treat roads and was purchasing nearly 10,000 gallons of liquid calcium chloride, a de-icer, but those are costly options.
“We’re hoping we’re going to get some deliveries, enough to scrape by,” he said.
The shortage of road salt was being felt in other regions that were bracing for the storm. In Cleveland, where eight inches to a foot of snow are expected, the shortage stemmed from delayed deliveries from Cargill, the state-contracted supplier.
“The Department of Public Works placed salt orders in August, but a portion of that salt remains undelivered,” the city said in a statement. As a result of the shortage, the city said that it would plow all streets, but that it would prioritize salt for use on “main roads, hills, dangerous intersections and areas near hospitals and schools.”
Cargill said in a statement on Friday that it was working “to ensure salt is available where it is needed most.”
With winter weather coming early in many parts of the country, driving up the demand for salt, producers prioritize distribution by geographic area. “Generally,” Cargill said, “salt volume is contracted in the northeast and other areas long before it snows.”
Compass Minerals, another salt producer, said in a statement that “with the significant and early impact of winter weather compared to recent seasons, the entire road salt supply chain continues to experience high demand for de-icing salt.”
The company said it was prioritizing shipments for its municipal clients and “actively working to fulfill all current orders.”
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
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