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>Many places in the midwest have actually switched away from using salt to melt snow They use salt to melt ice. They plow snow. The only times I've seen the mi
by Loughla 6y ago
>Many places in the midwest have actually switched away from using salt to melt snow
They use salt to melt ice. They plow snow. The only times I've seen the midwest US use sand instead of salt is when the temperatures are below where salt is still effective.
Do you have a citation for this statement, because it is 100% the opposite of what I see in my day-to-day life.
- Zenst 6y agoSome area's won't be allowed to use salt, I know in Issaquah in Washington state they could not use salt upon the roads due to laws to protect the salmon streams. Probably a fair few area's in which salt is prohibited for road use due to such things. So sand makes sense and for some that is all they will see in their area.
- grogenaut 6y agoIn the Seattle area, which Issaquah is part of, they use Sugar Beet Juice. Theres an interesting little article on it here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/bellevue/unique-mixture-coats-bellevue-streets-before-a-snowstorm/281-a6ad32c0-7082-4fed-ac4c-6da5a9113337 https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/bellevue/unique-mix....
- ryanwhitney 6y ago(To help keep the salt stuck to the road instead of blowing away.)
- whimsicalism 6y agoTo me, this is a much more restrictive claim than the original.
- freewilly1040 6y agoHow much persistent snow does Washington state get though? The discussion is most relevant for places where snow falls and will stay where it is for months if something is not done.
- blendergeek 6y agoQuite a lot, especially at higher elevations.
- umanwizard 6y agoIssaquah is in the Puget Sound region, not the mountains. It has about as much snow as Seattle; i.e., some but not very much.
- Supermancho 6y ago> How much persistent snow does Washington state get though? At elevation, of course there's some that's persistent, but that's not much of the state at all. eg Crystal Mountain has snow in the winter, but is completely bare by the summer.
- coryrc 6y agoThat's not even kinda the Midwest.
- throwaway0a5e 6y agoWhen you live in a coastal city everything outside the beltway is the midwest
- Nasrudith 6y agoThat is pretty ironic that salmon are at risk of salt given they are famous for adjusting to the ocean. Even though they are essentially already terminally ill and falling apart when they head back into the river to spawn.
- jessaustin 6y agoThis may be about the other end of the cycle? The salt might harm microscopic things that salmon fry eat on their way downriver.
- diggan 6y agoI presume the snow/ice was just a mixup, don't think there is much point arguing about it. Yes, when I grew up in Sweden salt was everywhere as well. Then before I moved away the forbid salt in some places and replaced it with sand. If I recall correctly, erosion on cars and the effect on local fauna being the reason. I mostly saw sand being used instead of salt at that point. Now I don't know how it looks, as it was a couple of years ago, but I expect sand to be used even more now than before, as the country is getting more focused on ecology and sustainability.
- virtue3 6y agoIn stockholm they use this relatively fine gravel now (at least the last 4 years I've been to Sweden in the winter). It's absolutely bloody annoying to walk on (and drag luggage near). But I suppose it's there to help the cars maintain traction in the ice/snow. And I suppose you could sweep it back up again after the fact, etc. (there are piles of it left in areas for easy distribution I assume).
- brianwawok 6y agoWe use a mix by me. Sand goes for most stuff. Hills and dangerous intersections get salt. I think salt costs several times what sand costs, so it is only used where deemed necessary.