You never know what the winter will bring when it comes to snow and ice. Being caught short on salt or sand in the middle of January makes for a long winter for drivers, pedestrians, and the municipalities that keep the road and sidewalk safe. Having storage facilities is important for local governments and their public works departments.
It is a delicate balance between having too much and not having enough, but it’s better to err on the side of caution. Make sure your road salt stockpile is protected from the elements with a fabric storage building from Accu-Steel.
Road Salt Storage Buildings
Leaving road salt and sand exposed to the elements will cause it to dissolve and clump together, making it unusable. Filling up your plows during an ice storm, only to find your salt supply is a slurry mess running across the property is frustrating. Additionally, the cost and time to build a metal structure aren’t always feasible. Fortunately, Accu-Steel has the right solution for salt storage. Keep the road salt dry and protected from the elements to ensure you are ready to go during the snow and ice season.
Some facilities opt to cover their deicing materials with a tarp. This doesn’t provide much protection, is a hassle, and a time-waster for employees. They’ll need to get out of their equipment, remove the tarp, load the trailer, and cover the salt pile again. Saving time and resources is just another advantage of a fabric building from Accu-Steel. The tarp won’t provide the same amount of protection as a salt storage building, allowing salt to leach into the groundwater, contaminating the water and causing you to lose inventory.
Most areas have laws or guidelines in regards to the environmental impact of stored commodities. By having a storage facility, you can meet the regulations regarding groundwater contamination. According to the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA), an average of 20 million tons of road salt is applied to American roads, sidewalks, and other surfaces every year. ASDWA goes on to state that studies have shown road salt has doubled chloride concentrations in waterways and aquifers. In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the road salt additive ferrocyanide to the list of toxic pollutants (Section 307(a) of the Clean Water Act). Protect your community from groundwater pollution by covering your rock salt stockpile. It is important to be a good steward of the environment that we all work and live in.
Another benefit of having a road salt storage building is you can buy salt during the off-season when prices are lower.
Accu-Steel Buildings Are Efficient and Effective
A fabric storage building from Accu-Steel will be engineered and designed to your specifications and needs. By getting exactly what you need for your public works facility, you and your employees can work more efficiently. The building can be the exact size you need, with the access points where you want them, and other customizable options that will make your building efficient and effective.
There is ample space for equipment, inventory, and people. The design of an Accu-Steel fabric building makes it easy to access the salt pile and load it into equipment. There are no support beams, making it easy for trucks and tractors to move in and out of the building. The clear span interior of the fabric salt storage building also allows trucks and trailers to unload road salt using an end-dump. The fabric material allows natural light into the building, cutting energy costs for lighting. However, it is easy to install conveyors and lighting if needed.
By having the right space for the job, you will limit damage to your equipment and inventory, along with minimizing possible injuries to people, both operating the equipment and not.
Contact the experts at Accu-Steel today to learn more about salt storage facilities for your municipality. Start making your public works facility safe, efficient, and optimized.