According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 2019-22 winter season, from December through February, was one of the warmest on record, worldwide and in central Ohio.
And while NOAA is predicting a wet spring, the agency said Ohio received less snow than usual.
“We had a pretty light year this year,” said Marysville Public Service Director Mike Andrako.
Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch added that it was, “obviously, a very calm year.”
Andrako said the city used 722 tons of salt for the winter season. He said the city used an identical 722 operation hours treating and clearing the roads.
“Usually they are close, but this is the first time they are the same,” Andrako said.
He explained that Marysville’s salt use and man hours related to winter weather are “quite a bit below our average.”
Stauch said his office tallied 850 hours of overtime from November through March. He compared that to 1,925 overtime hours accrued between November 2018 and March 2019.
“That is kind of remarkable,” Stauch said.
He said that the county used “substantially less” salt and mix for this winter season compared to last. From Jan. 1 through March 31, 2020, the county used a total of 1,691 tons of salt and mix. During the same period in 2019, the county used 3,030 tons of salt and mix.
Andrako said the city averages between 1,300-1,400 tons of salt used each winter season. He said snow plowing and salt application consumed 1,678 man-hours in the 2018-2019 winter season.
While the city used less salt, it still had to buy quite a bit. Andrako explained that because the city is part of the state’s bid process and receives the state pricing, it is obligated to purchase at least 90% of what it requests which was 2,000 tons for this winter season.
Andrako said the city has a reserve at its salt barn on Maple Street. He said that when the city buys more than it uses, the extra is added to the stockpile.
“That takes care of winters when we use more than we ordered,” he said.
Andrako said that because the city used less than half of what it received, it is estimated the barn now has between 2,500 and 3,000 tons of salt.
That type of reserve has got city officials thinking.
“We have been discussing whether we will place an order next year,” Andrako said. “We may decide not to make an order next year since we have enough on hand.”
He added, “not purchasing salt next season could help the city offset some of the revenue we anticipate not receiving due to the Coronavirus. That could be a way to cut some cost.”
Stauch said because of how supervisors have been working during the COVID-19 pandemic, he does not know exactly how much salt the county has on hand, but he is looking into it. He said he has to place his salt order for the 2020-2021 winter later this month.
“That stock pile is going to keep our material costs down, going into next year,” Stauch said.