Snow and Ice Control

The City’s Snow and Ice Control Policy describes the measures that the city undertakes to control snow and ice on city streets, sidewalks and parking lots.

Halt the Salt!  Great care is taken to balance safety with the use of salt to keep roads clear of ice. According to MN Pollution Control, it only takes one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water. High concentrations of chloride in our waterways can harm fish and plant life, and there is no efficient way to remove chloride after contamination occurs.

The Criteria for implementing snow and ice control operations are as follows:

• Snow accumulation of two inches or more
• Drifting of snow that causes problems
• Icy conditions that seriously affect travel
• Time of snowfall in relation to heavy use of streets