It was only January when I got the first few emails and phone calls and read the social media posts. Snow fighters were going to run out of rock salt. Stockpiles were dwindling, suppliers notified customers they were being cut off, and prices started to rise rapidly. How was this happening again? This was the third or fourth time I’ve witnessed this in close to 20 years.
Salt applicators, both large public-sector users and private-sector users, were coming off a couple of years of relatively low snowfall. There was some anticipation that lower snow could be a new normal, so preseason purchasing was conservative. Many companies do not have the storage capacity to hold a full season's supply of salt, so they rely on suppliers to store salt until needed. The cost of purchasing and paying in advance for a full season of anticipated salt use is not realistic. Then, when an early winter starts, a chain reaction of supply-and demand-driven economics occurs, leaving the private sector last in line to secure additional salt.
A report from Phoenix Intelligence was widely circulated on social media and provides a thorough analysis. I read a mix of reactions and emotions as frustration ensued. My analysis: the systemic issues of rock salt availability have not been resolved.
One of the bigger “pain points” stems from the municipalities procuring the first access to bulk rock salt. This has long relied on a 1992 Marquette University study, which found that applying rock salt can reduce vehicle accidents by up to 88% and injuries by 85%. This makes for an easy decision for legislators and regulatory decision-makers; if we want to save lives in winter storms, let’s make sure the public sector has priority access to rock salt.
It’s not just that private contractors have not had the same collective buying power as the public sector; we also have not collaborated on a unified message as to why safety is as important on private property as it is on roads and highways.
Then, during winters with active storms requiring salt application a majority of salt is earmarked for the public sector, creating a secondary market as the primary supplier to the private sector. Price gouging and some doubling or higher prices ensue.
Those who implement best practices in procurement and sustainable salt use set themselves up for a better outcome. These are free and available to download from SIMA. Moscarino Landscape’s Josh Fontanez had a good analysis on salt supply in Ohio. Also worth reading is a LinkedIn post from Lindsay Landscape’s Jeff Plante, CSP, ASM, in Ottawa, ON; and a report from Ninja Deicer’s Justin Rollin.
This is managing the problem, not fixing it. Fixing it may require more in-depth inquiries, such as what it will take to fully ensure an adequate supply. Take a fire department, for example. If there’s no water, they can’t be effective in fighting fires. All of us, in supporting our public works, make sure firefighters have access to water—whatever it takes.
Are we ready to take some collective action to initiate change? Some of us want to try.
Martin Tirado, CAE, is Executive Director of the Snow & Ice Management Association. Contact him at martin@sima.org.