  Gnome Member Username: Gnome Post Number: 804 Registered: 08-2007 |
I thought we are sitting on the largest vein of salt in North America. How can there be a shortage of salt? I understand the salt companies aren't working the mines, but I've never heard the reason why. Who owns them, and what are they doing with them, besides providing secret underground tunnels for commuting Mormon Masons from Grosse Pointe... salt shortage story here | ||
Pgn421 Member Username: Pgn421 Post Number: 447 Registered: 02-2005 |
believe it or not, Its cheaper to buy road salt, (semi loads) via Canada. | ||
Johnnny5 Member Username: Johnnny5 Post Number: 700 Registered: 06-2005 |
I salt/plow snow for a living so this salt shortage has been hitting me harder than most. At the beginning of the season I was paying $49 per ton for salt, but for the past few weeks it's been $129! Like those interviewed in the article I can not wait for Spring. | ||
Lansingfire Member Username: Lansingfire Post Number: 87 Registered: 07-2007 |
They base the order on average of the past years. If the last 3 years we needed 100 tons each year then this year the would have ordered 100 tons. Except this year has been worse. I doubt they want the salt around all year in storage. | ||
Hpgrmln Member Username: Hpgrmln Post Number: 371 Registered: 06-2007 |
Id prefer if we didn't use salt. When I visited tennessee a few years back, I was shocked at how nice and smooth the roadways were.They use very little salt there. I think Ontario even uses sand far more often than they do salt. The salt destroys the roads, which in turn destroys tires/vehicles and makes the need for pesky road construction projects that much more frequent. | ||
Rel Member Username: Rel Post Number: 249 Registered: 02-2008 |
A great Detroit News story about our salty legacy: http://info.detnews.com/redesi gn/history/story/historytempla te.cfm?id=17&category=business | ||
Higgs1634 Member Username: Higgs1634 Post Number: 346 Registered: 10-2005 |
quote: The condition of our roads has more to do with the fact the weight limit for heavy trucks is almost twice the national average. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 3928 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Well, and Tennessee doesn't get nearly as much snow. The condition of Michigan's roads has quite a bit to do with MDOT. They've been so giddy building new freeways all over the place the past few decades that they forgot to maintain what they already own. The higher weight limit doesn't matter if your maintenance program is up to the task. Fix I-94? Fuck it! Let's build I-696! | ||
Higgs1634 Member Username: Higgs1634 Post Number: 347 Registered: 10-2005 |
well, yeah i guess. but if the constant beating was lessened (by lowering the weight) the maintenance would be manageable. But you're right, having it both ways...expanding + not maintaining is not sustainable. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 4669 Registered: 12-2005 |
I read a few weeks ago that a big part of the problem is that Morton can't get their salt barges from Canada because of the (ironically) iced-over waterways. I just heard on The Weather Channel that North Dakota and Chicago have been mixing beet juice extract in with salt. The beet juice also lowers the melting point of ice but doesn't cause the rust. Strange. | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 1304 Registered: 07-2007 |
Canada has easy access via ling truck roads to the mines. Detroit has elevator shafts. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 4671 Registered: 12-2005 |
Here's a recent article about the beet juice additive: Cities, states testing beet juice mixture on roadways. Beets are high in potassium. Maybe there's some potassium formate in there. | ||
Erikd Member Username: Erikd Post Number: 995 Registered: 10-2003 |
There is no shortage of salt. There is a shortage of trucks to deliver it. From the article above: "Our salt vendor has an adequate amount of salt, but the problem is that they don't have enough trucks to ship it to everyone who needs it," | ||
Rolen Member Username: Rolen Post Number: 25 Registered: 01-2004 |
Maybe someone can correct me but didn't I hear somewhere that the salt mines under the city are being used to store polluted or nuclear waste. Seems at one time Detroit mined more salt than any place else in the country. | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 1305 Registered: 07-2007 |
^ Yes that is where Fermi dumps their spent fuel rods. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6383 Registered: 08-2004 |
For anyone who hates using salt on our roadways... just work/live in Ann Arbor for a while... they hate using salt too. I still remember the 2 hour drive from St. Clair Shores to Ann Arbor just after a 2001 snow storm. It took 1 hour on I-94 from SCS to get to I-94 & State St., and another hour to drive the 3 mile into the city center. | ||
Zimm Member Username: Zimm Post Number: 47 Registered: 10-2006 |
"Here's a recent article about the beet juice additive: Cities, states testing beet juice mixture on roadways." the article mentions they're using the beet juice/brine combo in Iowa. i was in Iowa in December and drove across the state twice, each time about 6 hours after the waves of ice that paralyzed much of the nation's midsection. i was amazed that the roads were absolutely spotless-not a trace of water, snow, ice, or salt residue. you could drive for half an hour and not use your wipers. unbelieveable! on another note, the quality of the highway roadwork is outstanding there. i drove a newer stretch of I-80 that was like glass-no bumps or rolls at all, and extremely quiet. keep in mind that this is one of the most heavilly trafficked areas in the US in terms of freight and large loads that are not shippable by rail. far superior to almost any recent new work i can think of in Michigan-save for the S-Curve replacement on 131 in downtown Grand Rapids. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 11750 Registered: 12-2003 |
Johnny5, I've got your solution, but it'll take a wee bit of effort. Follow the county salt trucks around, and scoop up the PILES they leave behind when they stop at lights, etc. You could finish the season with salt to spare. I'll try to keep up with the piles I see on the road, there were two rich veins to 'roadmine' just this morning! Cheers! | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 620 Registered: 11-2007 |
Funny - Three years ago, I was the first one at my shop in the morning after the previous nights plowing of the lot. Apparently, the guy stopped to make a lengthy cell call, while dropping a 500# salt pile in the lot. With crates and shovel in the back of my truck handy - finders keepers. Used the last of it a couple of weeks ago on the drive and walk, after sharing with neighbors. | ||
Jiminnm Member Username: Jiminnm Post Number: 1609 Registered: 02-2005 |
Hpgrmln, my parents live in western Tennessee and, as far as I can tell, they don't use anything on the roads in the winter. No salt and no removal equipment. If there is snow or ice of any kind, everyone either stays home or goes out and drives into a ditch or another car. (Message edited by jiminnm on February 29, 2008) | ||
Living_in_the_d Member Username: Living_in_the_d Post Number: 104 Registered: 01-2008 |
Yeah, Reopen Detroit's salt mines. | ||
Bulletmagnet Member Username: Bulletmagnet Post Number: 1006 Registered: 01-2007 |
As a salt truck driver, I know the problem in not one of no salt, but of distribution. There are only so many trucks/drivers/hours to get the salt out here. When the snow comes back to back, the demand for salt puts a real strain on the system, and stock piles diminish. This is the same problem of how energy demand for gasoline puts a strain on our oil supply/oil refinery problem. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 626 Registered: 11-2007 |
Bulletmagnet - when it comes to our "oil supply/oil refinery problem" that seems to be a management winfall in the refinery sector. | ||
Guideboat Member Username: Guideboat Post Number: 9 Registered: 02-2008 |
Is everyone aware that the Detroit salt mine is currently mining salt? Here's a link to their web site. The notion to store waste in the mine was nixed some time ago. http://www.detroitsalt.com/hom e.htm | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 4026 Registered: 02-2004 |
It was so awful on I75 driving home tonight, and not a sign of salt anywhere. I am so tired of shitty weather. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 2362 Registered: 10-2006 |
Someone needs to tell The Detroit Salt Company that their pic of the Detroit skyline on their web site under the tab "community relations" is mirrored... | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 2363 Registered: 10-2006 |
Nevermind. I figured that I would just get on that myself. Back to the thread. This is the email that Detroit Mercy sent out. Seems to surprisingly well spell out the situation: As you may have heard from various news services, Michigan and its surrounding areas are experiencing a rock salt shortage. UDM is not exempt from this shortage. Each year the Universty reserves a specific quantity of salt based on previous usage. Due to the more extreme weather this winter, UDM is using a greater quantity of salt than in recent years. With UDM nearing the end of this year's allotment, we have been notified that the supplier (Morton Salt) will not honor any requests for additional salt beyond our allotment. Therefore, Facility Operations must limit quantities of salt used in non-critical areas. Safety is still our main concern and every attempt will be made to address hazardous areas. Our staff will continue to strive to identify and address all icy areas, however some slick areas may be overlooked. Since we may not be performing a general salting of all areas, Facility Operations needs your assistance in identifying potentially hazardous locations on campus. Please contact Facility Operations regarding areas of icy conditions at 313-993-1240. Your understanding and assistance during this salt shortage are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your part in helping to keep our campuses safe. , Facility Operations University of Detroit Mercy ph: 313.993.1240 fx: 313.993.1175 | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1692 Registered: 11-2003 |
Macomb County is using the beet juice mix in the northern reaches to pre-treat icy spots. And I know Detroit Salt Company is ming salt because I have a bag of it in my garage for my driveway and walk. You can buy it at Reindel's in Fraser. $5 for a 50 lbs bag. |
