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Dec. 26, 2004
By JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
Staff writer
Motorists in Ottawa County may miss the small, unassuming blue signs posted along some roadways recently.
"Environmentally Sensitive Area," they say.
A Piping Plover nesting spot? No.
Fragile and vanishing sand dunes nearby? No.
Blueberry fields? Bingo.
The signs may be small but what they represent is huge -- a committed effort by the Ottawa County Road Commission
to vastly reduce the use of road salt to melt ice on area roads.
It came this year after nearly six months of debate, meetings and compromise.
Farmer complaints of heavy salt use damaging and ruining blueberry crops led to a public forum, which led to a task
force, which led to a comprehensive 181-page report.
In the body of the thick report is a seven-page salt management plan, the only known one of its kind in Michigan,
adopted by the Ottawa County Road Commission on Aug. 26.
"Our primary focus for reducing salt this winter will be in the areas of the blueberry farms in the western portion
of the county," said Kent Rubley, road commission managing director.
The plan commits the road agency to goals of reducing road salt use by 25 percent county-wide within five years, and
by 75 percent within three years on roads in salt-sensitive areas.
So far this season there have been only a couple of notable snow events, but the management plan is being followed.
"I think it's going very well," said Jerry Diekema, road commission operations director and its designated
road salt manager.
Local blueberry farmers said it was too early in the winter to judge how well the program was working.
The plan includes:
* New salt to sand ratios mainly on county roads in rural areas, with a 50/50 mixture applied, instead of the 60/40
(60 percent salt to 40 percent sand) used last winter. The ratio for U.S. 31 and M-45 will remain at 60/40, at the insistence
of the Michigan Department of Transportation. The amount of application in sensitive areas is supposed to be lessened when
possible.
* New equipment resulting in three trucks outfitted for pre-wetting and one for anti-icing at each of the commission's
four garages. The devices aid in using less road salt.
* Special training sessions for truck operators were held last month to go over salting and sanding practices, calibration
of equipment and other factors.
* About 50 signs have been placed in 18 areas that are considered especially sensitive to the salt. The signs will
assist road crews in identifying areas where a lesser application is planned, and alert motorists to slow down.
The sensitive areas on U.S. 31 include the highway between Fillmore and Pierce streets, and north and south of Tyler
Street. On M-45, the sensitive areas are between 152nd and 144th avenues.
"The signs will designate those areas where drivers are being asked to drive slower and pay close attention to
the driving conditions of the roadway," Rubley said.
This will be the first winter under the new plan, Rubley noted, and adjustments to the fine points will be made as
necessary.
"We are going to minimize the affect salt has on the environment, while at the same time provide a safe road
for the motoring public," he said.
Contact John Charles Robbins at (616) 546-4269 or john.robbins@hollandsentinel.com.
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