Record salt use sparks fears of infrastructure damage
This winter’s 42,082 tonnes roughly double other years with similar snow
Record-setting amounts of salt used to combat icy city streets have some councillors and residents concerned about potential damage to vehicles, buildings and roadways in Edmonton.
Tim Cartmell, civil engineer turned city councillor, said the contentious calcium chloride brine for de-icing is only one component and the overall amount of salt is his main concern. A majority of the roads and buildings in the city weren’t designed with high amounts of the mineral in mind.
“It wasn’t contemplated in the long history of building our city and that’s a real concern for me,” he said. “Now we’re using significantly more salt on our roads ... which is going to cause detriments to our infrastructure and I have not heard a solid counter-argument to that yet.”
Cartmell, who represents southwest Edmonton’s Ward 9, shared his concerns after a slew of documents released Wednesday morning highlighted an increased use of salt. This winter’s snow and ice control program saw a 14 per cent increase in traditional salt use on city streets from the previous season. The city originally aimed to cut back salt use by 30 per cent last winter.
While snowfall this winter hit a five-year high, the 42,082 tonnes of salt used was about double other years, with similar amounts of snow, numbers from the city show. The salt used had no corrosion inhibitor to keep it from rusting metal.
Residents are also noticing a change in the snow control program — this winter saw a significant spike in snow and ice inquiries to 311 as well as property- and vehicle-damage claims. There have been seven claims filed for property and vehicle damage caused by the de-icing calcium chloride brine in the past two years, but the city says these claims weren’t validated.
But even with rising concerns, city director of infrastructure operations Janet Tecklenborg said the brine product was only used twice this winter compared to 10 times the previous year, due to consistently colder temperatures. In order for brine to be effective, the pavement must be dry with light winds and a temperature higher than -20 C. Only 617,171 litres of brine was used — eight times less than the amount in 2017-18.
“Corrosion is a complicated mechanism and has several factors that play into it,” she said in response to the growing concerns. “There’s no one tool that can address snow and ice on its own, so there’s no magic bullet.”
Last October, a tight council vote approved a third season of calcium chloride brine as one of the tools to get main roads to bare pavement.
Coun. Aaron Paquette, who asked for the report on 311 numbers, said it is clear his Ward 4 residents in the northeast don’t see the benefits.
“Honestly, my residents feel a little bit snowed by the whole process,” he said. “At this time, I’m not prepared to support calcium chloride at all.”
Feedback from emergency services and other community stakeholders raised concerns about the corrosion impacts of the brine on vehicles as well as potential damage to driveways, garage pads, lawns and vegetation, said one of the reports headed to the community and public services committee next Wednesday.
First responders raised concerns about poor conditions on residential streets and sidewalks affecting their response times. This feedback, along with public consultations, has prompted the city to look into a potential residential snow control pilot project next winter.
City officials will be providing a second detailed snow-and-ice report in August with results from several studies looking at the program’s impact on road safety, infrastructure and the environment. Council will then have the final say on recommendations for next winter.