The washington forums need...

Yeah, it's about that time.

I will tell Kevin to get on it, that's his job. It just wouldn't be right if somebody else made it.
 
the forums needs to know that WSDOT will be salting the roads this winter with salt from Chile this year.

we've even outsourced our salt.
 
Chile has some of the largest nitrate and salt resources in the world. The nitrates market and it's nationalization was a large reason for the 1973 coup d' etat sponsored by the CIA and US military that deposed a legitimately elected president who had already called a new election (Salvador Allende), brutally murdered a number of respected high ranking army officials and close to 30,000 Chileans, and installed a pro US dictator (Agusto Pinochet).

The lesson I guess? Your road salt can cause national disturbances.
 
oh, and kevin's too distracted by girls and not doing the dishes to make the snow watch thread right now.
 
wsdot stopped salting in the late 80s, started back up again about 5 years ago.

they used 750,000 tons last year, and nationally we used 20.3 million tons.

still sand sometimes, but cite that:



  • Sand gets picked up in tires and ends up on the side of the road, rather

    in the driving area of the roadway. In heavy traffic conditions, it’s

    only effective for a very short time.


  • Sand can clog roadway drains and ditches. Sand in streams may

    have an adverse impact on marine life.


  • Maintenance costs for sand are higher at the end of the season

    than for salt or anti-icer chemicals due to the need for cleanup.

 
but what are the effects of higher salinity in our streams due to runoff? how does the salt affect the fishies. plants also don't take well to salt. :(

:(
 
Salt is used all over the roads back east. Eats up your car and the road. But it really helps break down ice in places that never get warm. Interested to see how that works here. I'm thinking the salt will either wash off or just be used in wet snow (already melting).
 
WSDOT claims that

"Our past monitoring of streams, rivers, groundwater, and ponds has shown very

low levels of chlorides from our routine roadway applications of salt or other

chemicals. Levels found have been well below applicable standards or guidelines.

We continue to monitor these applications to determine what, if any, impact

they may have on the environment."
 
WSDOT claims that

"All ice-inhibiting products – salt and chemical anti-icers alike – have

some corrosive properties. The question boils down to, “Is the extra

cost of the anti-icers worth paying if they still cause corrosion?”

It’s worth noting that vehicle manufacturing techniques have changed.

Many of the newer vehicles have components made of plastic, fiberglass,

stainless steel and other materials, that are less prone to corrosion

than is steel. In any case, it’s advisable to wash your car periodically

through the winter to remove any chemical residue."

AND

"Anti-icing chemicals generally (it wasn’t clear cut in

all comparison scenarios) appear to be more corrosive on sheet and cast

aluminum alloys than salt."

 
The hills all around Ellensburg are covered in snow too. Looks damn good. All these whiny people in class are bitching about how cold it is and I wanna smack them.
 
haha yeah i know. everyone is complaining about the cold and im like,"i love it!" colder colder colder
 
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