Pittsburgh area's mild winters creating mountains of salt

Back-to-back mild winters have caused a backlog of road salt for some communities, forcing them to scramble to find space to store incoming shipments for next year.

A number of communities have not used as much road salt as they thought they would, said Tom Benecki, executive director of the Allegheny Valley North Council of Governments, which is part of a massive salt contract that involves nearly 100 municipalities.

“This year, I’m concerned about the very mild winter so far,” he said. “They started winter with full sheds of salt, and some will have to find places to store more.”

With about six weeks left to treat winter roads, the region is on track to have the third least snowy winter on record, according to the National Weather Service Pittsburgh office in Moon .

Cheswick, like other communities, had leftover salt from the mild 2018-19 winter. And with another mild winter, officials there are seriously wondering where they will store more salt set to be delivered before June 30 to comply with a group purchasing contract.

The borough is obligated to buy 80% of the 80 tons of road salt it is expecting through its contract with the South Hills Area Council of Governments, according to borough officials.

The borough’s modest salt shed is close to full.

“We better start thinking about some large tarps,” Cheswick Councilman Brad Yaksich said during council’s meeting earlier this month.

SHACOG saves money for the 98 participating municipalities in Allegheny County through bargaining power by collectively buying about 130,000 tons of salt annually, according to Louis Gorski, the council’s executive director.

It’s a great deal. SHACOG members pay $82 per ton delivered compared to $90 to $113 out in the general market, he added.

Communities with large salt sheds such as Harrison don’t have to worry as much.

“We’re in good shape, because we have a huge salt bin that is only about a quarter full now,” said Rich Hill, Harrison’s manager.

Pittsburgh currently has about 20,000 tons on hand, according to Pittsburgh Public Works Director Mike Gable. At full capacity, the city can store 27,800 tons in four domes, two covered spaces, three outside storage bins and a dome shared with Allegheny County.

Gable wouldn’t define his supply as extra. The city just ordered another 1,700 tons.

“Yes, we have plenty of space, and we need it, because when we move the material from the outside storage areas we need to get it under cover,” he said.

The city has contracts with multiple suppliers and is not in the same position as some of the smaller municipalities that are locked into contracts that require a certain amount of purchases during the season, according to Tim McNulty, spokesman for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

Smaller communities have to balance ordering enough to secure a cost savings, having enough on hand but not having too much.

“If they cut back their salt order by 30% for next year, and we have a bad winter, then they will have to get more,” Benecki said.

Estimating salt consumption can be tricky but certainly worth it as the contracted prices are economical for communities as well the guarantee of more salt when needed, Benecki said.

At the end of winter, local officials will see where they stand.

Gorski said it was a little too early to say if SHACOG or the communities will try to do anything different if, in fact, a number of communities will make plans for more salt storage.

“We still have a window where consumption is possible,” Gorski said. “When that window closes, then we’ll address any issues.”

Staff writer Bob Bauder contributed to this story. Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary at 724-226-4691, mthomas@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaThomas_Trib.