City remains cool toward anti-ice agents.Byline: Scott Maben The Register-Guard Maintenance crews and property owners broke out an assorted arsenal of anti-ice weapons this week when freezing weather turned streets and sidewalks treacherous. They threw down everything from sand to salt-free melting agents to fertilizer to avoid slip-sliding away. But while public agencies rely on accepted methods, some business owners and residents may be oblivious to the hazards of free-form ice-removal tactics. When local stores ran out of limited supplies of chemical de-icers, shoppers turned to a cheap alternative, ammonium sulphate, an ingredient in fertilizer. It does melt ice, but it's not a wise substitute, said Patty Butler, garden center manager at Jerry's Home Improvement in Springfield. "It goes into the storm drains and is bad for fish and water," Butler said. "And it also will etch the concrete." The city of Eugene discourages misuse of fertilizers as part of a program to improve the condition of the Willamette River and the health of endangered fish stocks. "Fertilizers can cause significant problems when they get into our local creeks and waterways," said Eric Jones, spokesman for the city's public works department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
Several new products considered environmentally friendly have come on the market since that policy was adopted, but the council hasn't been briefed on them. "At a time that's appropriate we will discuss with the council their willingness to consider these new practices and a change in policy," Jones said. For now, the city relies on sanding busy streets to improve traction. But then crews must return to sweep up the sand after the ice melts. The goal is to keep as much as possible from plugging up storm drains and washing into rivers, where it can smother fish eggs nestled in spawning gravels. The Eugene Airport, however, is a different beast. Runways and taxiways must be kept free of snow and ice, so crews hustled this week to plow and sweep the surfaces, then apply an anti-ice agent that lowers the freezing temperature of the surfaces to 4 degrees. They followed that up with a thin layer of sand. "The whole game is beforehand," said Richard Weiss, airfield supervisor. "If you wait till after, you've got rattlesnakes in your hand. We have to be proactive." Lane County sands certain roads during icy spells, but also uses a low-corrosion chemical to prevent ice from forming. "If we know we will get rain and a freeze, we'll apply before it freezes," said Arno Nelson, road maintenance manager for the county's public works department. "We try to use it as much as we can." But if freezing weather is accompanied by rain, the chemical - costing about $40 a mile - simply washes away, he said. The county didn't use it this week. The state uses another anti-icing agent in concert with sanding operations. Magnesium chloride magnesium chloride Warning - High-alert drug! Chloromag, Mag 64, Mag Delay, Slo-Mag Pharmacologic class: Mineral Therapeutic class: poses little threat to aquatic wildlife, is effective and doesn't cost a lot, said Dawn Anderson, clean water program technician for the state Department of Transportation. Sand still has its place, Anderson said, "but in general, we're reducing it." Crews spread the liquid agent Monday night on state highways in the Eugene-Springfield area and elsewhere in the county, said Dennis Joll, district resource coordinator. The department is responsible for maintaining such busy routes as Belt Line Road, Interstate 105 and the Washington-Jefferson Street Bridge, and Highways 58, 126 and 101. ICE BREAKERS Local agencies and institutions rely on a variety of methods to melt ice or add traction to slick streets and sidewalks: Oregon Department of Transportation: Sanding plus magnesium chloride, considered less-corrosive and better for the environment than rock salt. Because it's a salt compound, it includes a rust inhibitor to protect vehicles. Lane County: Sanding plus calcium magnesium acetate Calcium magnesium acetate is an alternative to road salt. It is approximately as corrosive as normal tap water, and in varying concentrations can be effective in stopping road ice from forming down to ~27.5 °C (its Eutectic temperature). , a salt-free melting agent made from dolomitic dol·o·mite n. 1. A white or light-colored mineral, essentially CaMg(CO3)2, used in fertilizer, as a furnace refractory, and as a construction and ceramic material. 2. limestone and acetic acid acetic acid (əsē`tĭk), CH3CO2H, colorless liquid that has a characteristic pungent odor, boils at 118°C;, and is miscible with water in all proportions; it is a weak organic carboxylic acid (see carboxyl group). (the main compound in vinegar). Little impact on plants and animals Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal, comprised of guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque, and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woodley.[1] They are signed to Secret City Records. City of Eugene: Sanding only for streets; Ice Breaker Plus, a food-grade glycol glycol (glī`kōl), dihydric alcohol in which the two hydroxyl groups are bonded to different carbon atoms; the general formula for a glycol is (CH2)n(OH)2. antifreeze antifreeze, substance added to a solvent to lower its freezing point. The solution formed is called an antifreeze mixture. Antifreeze is typically added to water in the cooling system of an internal-combustion engine so that it may be cooled below the freezing point , is used on sidewalks around community centers and other city buildings; the Eugene Airport uses potassium acetate potassium acetate K-Vescent, K-Effervescent Pharmacologic class: Mineral, electrolyte Therapeutic class: Electrolyte replacement, nutritional supplement Pregnancy risk category C , an anti-ice agent, along with manual snow removal and sandingCity of Springfield: Sanding only on streets. U.S. Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processes and delivers mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. The service seeks to improve its performance through the development of efficient mail-handling systems and operates its own planning and engineering programs. : Urea, made from ammonia and carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. and used primarily as a nitrogen-based fertilizer, is used to thaw sidewalks at local post offices. In its pure form, urea isn't corrosive. University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. : Sanding Sacred Heart Medical Center Sacred Heart Medical Center may refer to: In the United States:
CAPTION(S): Thomas Boyd / The Register-Guard Postal maintenance worker John Hoffmann spreads urea, a common fertilizer nutrient, on the sidewalk along Willamette and Donald Streets. |
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