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Salt Deficit May Make This Scary

States order massive amounts of salt, pinching other areas

By Drew Nelles, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 16, 2008 5:41 PM CST

(Newser) – City officials in the Midwest are struggling to prepare for another season of heavy snowfall as road salt supplies drop and prices surge, the Los Angeles Times reports. High demand and once-high gas charges have boosted salt prices, but the spike from $40 to $140 per ton seems exorbitant to some Illinois and Indiana politicos, who have demanded price-fixing probes.

“Companies are selling their stockpiles as quickly as they can produce it," says an industry rep. “No one can keep up.” Some cities plan to mix sand, brine, and beet juice with salt to extend supplies—or just tell the public to drive slower. "We'll stretch what salt we have for as long as we can, and hope for warm weather," one official says. "That's all we can afford to do."

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (2)]

Sales of road salt jumped 67% between 2006 and 2007, with this year seeing even higher demand.

Plows and taxis mingle on the street in Times Square during a snowstorm February 12, 2006 in New York City. (Getty Images)

Traffic clogs a ring highway through Berlin during a sudden snowstorm and a public transport workers' strike on March 5, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. (Getty Images)

A taxi makes his way through Time Square during a snow storm February 17, 2003 in New York City. (Getty Images)

Vehicles stuck in the snow litter the street on Nov. 6, 2008, near downtown Rapid City, S.D. This winter is expected to be harsh, and road salt demand has jumped accordingly. (AP Photo/Rapid City Journal, Seth A. McConnell)

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We'll stretch what salt we have for as long as we can, and hope for warm weather. That's all we can afford to do. - Steubenville, Ohio official Joe DeSantis

Our mines in the U.S. and Canada are going 24-7, and we're subcontracting with salt companies from South America and Europe. Even with all that, our supplies are short. - Morton Salt spokesman Joe Wojtonik

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Salt Deficit May Make This Scary