CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – We had less than an inch of snow in Wausau on Sunday morning. But the roads were slippery. There was nothing to plow. But judging from the number of cars that were having trouble stopping, the city was right to send out its DPW trucks to spread salt and sand.
For the past few years Wausau has been using a mixture of rock salt and organic material, usually the brine from beats. It’s more expensive, but apparently it works better. It melts ice at lower temperatures. It’s also environmentally friendly. I have no problem spending more for something that works better.
Now, of course, you think the purpose of plowing and salting the road is to limit the number of accidents – to keep you safe during winter driving conditions. That is, unless you live in the People’s Republic of Madison. Protecting Mother Earth is being prioritized over keeping drivers safe when it snows.
Last year the city announced that they will only salt roads that city busses run on. Madison also uses the environmentally-friendly beet brine, but they say using less of it keeps runoff out of Lake Mendota and Lake Monona and the city’s drinking water supply.
Now straight rock salt has been mined for treating roads during the winter since World War I. And yes, I will concede that we don’t want needlessly large amounts of melting snow, with the rock salt, going down our sewers and changing the balance of our lakes and rivers. But in 100 years of treating our roads, the lakes are still full of fish and the water is still drinkable. When I balance driver safety versus the fish, you being able to travel as safely as possible wins out every time.
This year Madison has cut back their bus routes, so they’ll be treating 50 miles less of their streets. If you don’t live on a thoroughfare, you can slip and slide until you get to the main road. If you crash into a tree, or someone’s mailbox, or another car, or a pedestrian – well, at least you’ve done your part to keep the water clean.
Chris Conley
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