Item B - Ice and Snow Policy - Laserfiche WebLink

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Testing was done on untreated steel and aluminum (100 hours of spray testing). VVhen materials are applied to a roadway, they become diluted as they melt the snow and ice. Dilution of the material will vary with the type of storm and amount of precipitation received. The city has not experienced increased rusting with its snow and ice control fleet, although we do normally experience some rusting due to the fact that the materials are in a concentrated form when we handle them. Staff has also not experienced an increase in rusting or wear on non- snow equipment and vehicles or their tire rims. The city fleet is washed as soon as possible following each storm event. According to a report on deicers done by Henry W. Kirchner P.E. consultant, "It appears that corrosion is most likely on unprotected (unpainted or non-sealed) iron, steel, and aluminum where moisture can be held against these exposed surfaces. Ordinarily, if the surfaces' paint, plating, or undercoating is not damaged or broken, corrosion will not occur when deicers are used in accordance with manufacturer recommendations." All of the products used in the city's snow and ice control program are water-soluble. VVheel rims and other aluminum or steel parts should be rinsed off periodically to help prevent any possible corrosion. If vehicle owners are concerned about corrosion (especially owners of vehicles with unpainted or non-sealed metal or already "pitted" metal) they should consider having tire rims or other exposed parts clear-coat sealed in order to help prevent corrosion. V g tation: Also according to the Kirchner report, "All deicers hold the potential for damaging grass and plant biota should their concentration within the soil become unusually high. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium can be beneficial to soil." Magnesium chloride is sold and used as a plant nutrient and a soil stabilizer. Ice Slicer consists of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium chlorides. Staff is unaware of any studies that have been done testing the effects of Ice $1iceron vegetation. However, the Air Force Academy staff in Colorado Springs says that it had to replace its grass and shrubs every year when using rock salt in its snow removal operations. Academy staff says it has not had to replace any vegetation since it started using Ice Slicer several years ago. Ice Ban is considered an "organic" deicer by the industry. According to the Levelton report, "There is no current published data on the environmental effects of using Ice Ban. However, it is not likely that this material would have any negative effect on vegetation, since it is produced from plant material." Transportation Maintenance staff has noticed what appears to be an effect of the deicers on evergreens. Since the materials started being used, staff has noticed more "burning" of this genus of plant and tree. It appears that the deicers can cause the evergreen needles/leaves to clog and stick together- reducing the amount of oxygen the plant can draw. Staff is not seeing the same effect on other plant life. VVhere we see most of the impact on vegetation is on major arterials that are high speed and high volume where splash up onto the medians and shoulders occurs. Staff has found that by trimming back the "burned" areas following each snow season, the evergreens are rejuvenated. Staff has also been looking into "flushing" the evergreens at the end of the snow season to help unclog the needles/leaves.