Lynn DPW dealing with rising road salt prices

LYNN – The first winter storm of the season could still be weeks away but public works officials are preparing snow plowing equipment and keeping a wary eye on the escalating price of road salt.
Jay Fink, the city’s public works director, said rock salt prices are up 10 percent over last season, pushing the per-ton cost to $66. Last year, the city paid $59.90 per ton.
In Lynn, this season’s 10-percent increase is more manageable than the 20-percent jump that occurred a few years ago, Fink said.
“A lot depends on the weather. During the last couple of years, we used about 8,500 tons per season. But before than, back in 2005-2006, which was a terrible year, we used nearly 14,000 tons,” he said. “That year, there was a big storm with 30 inches of snow followed by several other storms. So it’s very difficult to say how much salt we’ll need. In 2004-2005, we only used 5 tons.”
According to Fink, cold weather can reduce the need for rock salt, often referred to as Halite. “When the weather is cold, you get less freezing and thawing, so there’s less demand for chemicals,” he said. “If you have a winter that’s not so cold, you tend to get more storms and jump into a freezing-thawing cycle, which means you need more salt.”
Air temperature can also determine whether the city uses liquid calcium on its streets, a chemical that costs a pricey 70 cents per gallon. “We have tanks on the back of our sanding trucks. The liquid calcium is applied to the salt as it comes off the truck and activates the salt on contact. As soon as the treated salt hits the snow, it starts to work,” he said. “We typically use it when the temperature reaches 25 degrees or less, but because of the price per gallon, we have to be cautious with it. Once the temperature gets up to 30 degrees, salt activates quickly on its own, so you don’t have to apply the liquid.”
The rock salt laid down on Lynn streets first arrives by barge in Chelsea and is delivered to the city in massive trucks. The salt is stockpiled in enclosed barns at the public works headquarters on Commercial Street and on Parkland Avenue across from Pine Grove Cemetery.
“With both sites, we can go full force with sanding operations, attacking from two different angles,” Fink said.
Rock salt prices have steadily risen over the past decade. “Historically, we paid $30-$35 a ton, but all of a sudden it went to the mid-$40 range and since then it has continued to go up,” he said. “No matter the price, our budget stays the same each year. It’s under-funded, which is more of an accounting principle than anything else. In January, the budget is extended to prepare for winter. Then we go into deficit spending, and when winter is over the City Council transfers the money to cover the deficit.”