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The lack of snow this month has translated into millions of dollars in statewide savings on road salt and employee overtime.
The Ohio Department of Transportation reported Thursday that it has used 20,000 tons of salt this winter season, compared to 202,000 tons from October through Dec. 31 of last year. That is a relative savings of more than $11 million in road salt alone.
The Miami Valley has seen only trace amounts of snow this month, compared to the area’s average December snowfall of more than 5 inches. Ten inches fell on the area in December 2010.
Fred Stovall, Dayton Public Works director, said the city of Dayton spent roughly $300,000 last December on salt, calcium and overtime for snow removal. The year before, the city spent about $100,000.
This month?
“We haven’t used any salt.”
Montgomery County Engineer Paul Gruner also reported no road salt use this season, as compared to the county spending more than $200,000 during the same time frame last year.
In Centerville, Public Works Director Rob James said the city has spent $760 on snow removal this season, “mostly on (salt for) bridges and hills,” for a savings of close to $66,000 compared to last year. James noted that the mild December has helped salvage his 2011 budget, despite the strain of a February ice storm and multiple snow events last winter.
“Even with the mild winter (so far), we’re still over budget (for 2011),” he said. “If we had had a December like last year, that would have made it even worse.”
Earlier this year, municipalities around the area had to approve additional funding for road salt because the demand exceeded the supply.
In February, Kettering officials approved an unbudgeted 3,500-ton road salt purchase at a cost of $215,950 because of declining stockpiles. That was on top of an original purchase of 5,000 tons.
Dave Miller, Kettering’s superintendent of street maintenance, said Kettering began that challenging winter weather season by spending about $130,000 on snow removal in December 2010.
He said this month has been a relief financially, but the break also has allowed the department to recover after a busy weather year overall.
“With the windstorms we had (this summer), we are just starting to catch up,” Miller said. “Not having the snow has been really a big help for us.”
Service Director Chris Moore said the nearly flake-free month allowed employees in Springfield — which spent more than $85,000 on road salt last December compared to less than $3,000 this month — to work on road repairs later into the year.
“The same guys who plow the street also do our road repairs,” Moore said.
Another challenge with last winter’s weather was that it was a result of several storms.
“We’d rather get 10 inches in one dump,” said Greene County Engineer Robert Geyer, adding that Greene County spent $182,000 on road salt for its 330 miles of roads last December. “We can knock a big snow out in less than 24 hours.”
Paul Huelskamp, Miami County engineer, said snow removal can be expensive because crews are sent out at all hours.
“It’s like doing laundry: You can take a load of laundry and do it all at once, or do a little a bunch of times,” Huelskamp said. “Every time we have to send the guys out, it costs $10,000 to $20,000 if it’s not during regular work hours.”
Dave Duritsch, Middletown’s director of public works, said five snow events hit his city in late 2010, costing about $80,000 in road salt.
“To date in 2011, we have only applied a small amount of salt to a few bridges,” he said.
Although local officials said they have enjoyed the quiet start to this winter season, none held any illusion that their good fortune would continue heading into the more traditionally snowy months.
“In Ohio, we all know the weather changes on a dime,” said Steve Faulkner of ODOT.
According to the National Weather Service, the Dayton area averages close to 10 inches of snow in January and 6½ inches in February.
“Typically, the November-December cycle isn’t too bad for us; it’s the second week of January and into February and March that is the worst,” Huelskamp said. “The ice is what really kills you. It takes more tons of salt to melt the ice, and to get the melting process started.”
They said they will just budget for an average winter, and take every day as it comes.
“It’s been a good December, and we’ve saved money and resources, but it could all go to pot in January or February,” Stovall said. “To say we’ve saved money for the season, it’s too early to say that. Nobody knows what’s going to happen.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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