Salt Shortage Hits Numerous States Amid Harsh Winter

A salt shortage is being reported throughout numerous states, as the nation is experiencing a specifically harsh winter. Dangerous winter storms, which include both ice and snow, have depleted supplies throughout the Midwest and Northeast United States. Numerous cities have been forced to ration supplies, as the winter season is far from over.

Road salt is not the only concern. Many local hardware and variety stores have run out of salt and other snow clearing supplies. As many warehouses are located in the Midwest, which was hit especially hard, smaller stores are having problems replenishing their stock.

Tom Felix, who manages Small’s Best Hardware in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, said “a lot of warehouses throughout Cincinnati are out of the ice melters and the salt and everything.” Felix said he usually orders supplies from a warehouse in Missouri. However, he said many warehouses in the Midwest are “totally empty.”

The manager said is store has seen a 50 percent increase in business this season. Unfortunately, he is having trouble keeping supplies in stock. While he does have a few 25-pound bags of salt left, he is out of 50-pound bags and shovels.

As reported by WCPO News, Felix is unsure if and when he will be able to restock the store.

Julius Hansen, a public works director in suburban Chicago, said road crews have responded to 31 storms this season. Last year, the region experienced a total of 21. Hansen said the community has a serious salt shortage and if they run out “at some point people are going to be sliding all over the place.”

Although replenishing the salt is an option, the cost will be excessive. As the shortage extends throughout numerous states, the demand has exceeded supplies. ABC News reports salt prices have doubled and tripled since the beginning of the season. However, the communities may be risking lives if they wait.

Crews in Morgan, Indiana, and Wichita, Kansas, have resorted to mixing their remaining salt with sand. Unfortunately, it is not an ideal solution. Joseph T. Pajor, with Wichita public works and utilities, said “sand gives you some traction to get started, to stop, but it doesn’t do any melting.”

Even with the added salt, supplies are running low. Many communities have reserved their salt for highways, major intersections, and roads that cross steep hills.

Some communities have been forced to be creative amid the salt shortage. Milwaukee is experimenting with “liquid cheese brine,” which is being mixed with their remaining rock salt. The brine helps the pellets stick to the road, rather than “bouncing away.”

In Butler County, Pennsylvania, crews are experimenting with a new product called “Beet Heet,” which is composed of sugar beet molasses.

As the salt shortage is being felt through a large portion of the US, communities are rationing salt and experimenting with creative solutions. The shortage is only expected to get worse as the season continues.