SNOW AWARD: Environmental Excellence Recognized | Public Spaces

This service may have been redundant so far this winter, but the City of West Des Moines has won a 2012 Safe and Sustainable Snowfighting award.

The award is from the Salt Institute for excellence in environmental consciousness and effective management in the storage of winter road salt.

The federal government says that every winter over 116,000 Americans are injured and more than 1,300 killed as a result of ice covered roads.

A study of highways in Snow Belt states showed that road salt reduces crashes by 88 percent.

 “In West Des Moines, Iowa, providing safe roads for winter travel is a major component of the City’s winter operations plan,” says Public Works Director Bret Hodne, “While safety is one key factor, another area of emphasis is environmental stewardship”

“These facilities have cleared a high bar,” said Salt Institute President Lori Roman. “For example, in minimizing salt runoff alone, 10 specific recommendations must be met.”

145 local agencies in the U.S. and Canada received this recognition, including 23 new recipients.