At the beginning of the season, the City of Athens and Ohio University had about 2,000 tons of road salt available for cold conditions.
Although Ohio University students have experienced a balmy winter so far, the beginning of the semester has brought chillier temperatures — and more slippery sidewalks.
“They were super slippery yesterday,” Jillian Clark, a sophomore studying biological science, said. “(The university is) usually pretty good about it."
The National Weather Service put Athens under a winter weather advisory on Monday that will be in effect from 1 a.m. Tuesday until 4 a.m. Wednesday. The advisory lists snow accumulation between one and three inches, wind gusts up to 30 mph and temperatures that will fall into the lower 20s, with wind chills in the single digits.
“December was well above average, but to say the rest of the winter would be like that would be quite a stretch this early,” Fogt said.
Fogt said this year was, “a major El Niño year,” which could mean a drier year than normal, but he added that, “the pattern might change at any time.”
Athens and OU started the season with a total of about 2,000 tons of road salt ready for winter weather conditions.
According to Steve Wood, executive director of Facilities Management, the university is using about 200 tons of road salt that was left over from last year and hasn’t bought any more.
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Athens bought about 1,400 tons of road salt this year and has 400 tons ready for delivery if it runs low, Andy Stone, engineering director of public works for the City of Athens, said.
Athens buys a different amount of road salt depending on the year, Stone said. The city might use anywhere from 500 to 2,000 tons of road salt each year.
“Generally, we look at the previous year’s consumption — very broadly, in some cases — and how much we have on hand, and we go from there,” Stone said.
Winter temperatures can also bring issues such as broken water main pipes, Stone said.
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