Salt Management Plans “Braving Winter’s Cold Shoulder in Renfrew County”

The County of Renfrew recognized that a piece-wise approach to salt management would not work. Its efforts needed to be part of a bigger salt management plan that included proper diagnostic tools, detailed documentation of treatments, and education and training for its personnel. Such a plan would also need constant monitoring and updating as feedback was provided for operational staff. Starting in 2001, Renfrew embarked on an initiative to update its entire winter maintenance approach. At the same time, County road administrators began implementing some early winner projects. The approach worked. There were many benefits seen, including early improvements in salt consumption. The County learned that planning and forecasting tools alone were not enough to achieve reductions in salt. Changes in approach and application were needed. The path to improved salt consumption involved many stages; these stages are discussed in this paper and are specific to the County of Renfrew. The implementation of the County of Renfrew’s Salt Management Plan encompassed eight stages that were executed between 2001 and 2003. Details of this plan are discussed in Section 4. Details of the benefits achieved by implementing this plan, including reduction in salt usage, winter maintenance costs, collisions, and fuel costs, are reviewed in this paper.