SWAMPSCOTT — Rising up behind Blocksidge Field like Caradhras, Swampscott’s very own snow farm towers above the winter landscape, growing taller and taller each day.
Despite the name, a snow farm doesn’t grow anything. It’s a designated site where towns stockpile snow and let it melt in a controlled way.
“That’s what all the local communities call it when they dispose of this stuff,” Director of Public Works Gino Cresta said. “Everybody’s going some place to put the snow.”
After every major storm, crews from the Department of Public Works haul snow scraped from streets and intersections to the gravel lot at Phillips Park. The snow is piled high and left to slowly melt away. The towering mound serves as the final stop for thousands of yards of snow collected across town each winter.
The growing pile reflects an unusually snowy stretch for the region. Swampscott has had nearly 4 feet of snowfall over the past month, according to National Weather Service totals for the North Shore, with low temperatures between leaving little opportunity for the snow to melt. The repeated snowfall has forced DPW crews to get creative and move beyond routine plowing for large-scale snow removal, particularly on narrow streets and busy intersections.
DPW crews work in tandem, with a wheel loader collecting snow and distributing it into a waiting dump truck. The truckload is then taken to Phillips Park, where machines shape the piles to make room for the next shipment.
The work often continues well after storms pass. Between the January and February storms, crews have spent weeks clearing lingering accumulations.
“We’ve been hauling snow off the streets for the past three weeks now,” Cresta said.
Snow farms have become increasingly common across New England as municipalities rethink how to dispose of plowed snow. Decades ago, many coastal communities pushed snow directly into nearby waterways, a practice now generally avoided due to environmental concerns.
“Way back, everybody was dumping snow in the water,” Cresta said. “Part of the issue is all the trash on the side of the roads. You’re scooping up everything in the gutter in the trucks and then dumping all that trash in the ocean.”
Beyond visible debris, snow collected from streets can contain road salt, oil residue, and other pollutants that affect water quality as it melts.
“That’s why I don’t choose to dump in the ocean,” Cresta said.
Storing the snow on land allows it to melt gradually and filter through drainage systems instead.
The Phillips Park site provides plenty of storage space. Cresta said the snow pile is about 15 or 16 feet high, with crews continuing to clean up and provide some more space and visibility on the roads. The snow farm there sits on a gravel parking area rather than a park space, reducing concerns about damage to nearby recreational spaces.
Even during particularly harsh winters, Cresta said remembering the record snowfall season of 2015, the melting process has not created significant flooding issues. The snow doesn’t melt fast enough, he said.
Long after flakes stop falling, Swampscott’s man-made mountain continues to grow. It’s a reminder that clearing a storm’s aftermath can take weeks of work behind the scenes. Cresta and the DPW crew have earned praise from town officials and residents for their efforts, including at a recent School Committee meeting where Vice Chair Glenn Paster shared his thanks.
“We really appreciate the DPW for making sure everyone was safe and sound as they went to school on Wednesday,” Paster said. “We’ve had 4 feet of snow in the last couple weeks… it’s greatly appreciated to keep everybody safe.”
