EnviroTech Journal

The winter of 2014-2015 was particularly harsh in the Northern and Midwestern United States. New York, Michigan, and Minnesota were among the hardest-hit, experiencing winters that ranked in their respective top 10 worst. The shortage of salt and the inevitable hike in price created dangerous conditions for motorists in the entire affected area. Having already experienced the difficulty of dealing with an aggressive winter and a low salt supply, the question begs answering: Will we see a salt shortage again in 2015?

Regardless of how much ice and snow this winter brings, your operation has to stay moving all season long. While deicing is of utmost importance to keep things rolling, many shy away from liquid deicers and anti-icers because the chemicals are too harsh on the metal equipment.

When it comes to deicing standard operating procedures, are yours in place? There is a lot to get right, and perhaps just as much to get wrong. Here are ten do’s and don’ts to consider.

It isn’t unusual for storms to bring snow to the Rocky Mountain region in September, so now is the time to put your deicing and/or anti-icing plans in effect. It’s better to be prepared and not need them than to be caught without a plan and the supplies you will need to implement it. After all, with an entire winter to follow it’s unlikely that those supplies will go to waste.

Whether you operate a landfill, mine, or farm, you know that dust control is an ongoing problem that needs a better (and more cost-effective) solution than just water – especially during the drought conditions affecting many parts of the country.

Because of the ongoing, and sometimes severe, drought conditions affecting many areas of the country, farmers are faced with learning new strategies to save water and reduce dependence on fertilizers. In many cases, the technologies they are turning to now have actually been available for many years but weren’t considered cost effective until farmers faced losing their crops to drought.

Nearly one-half of the estimated four million roads in the U.S. are unpaved; the reasons why range from lack of usage to the costs involved. One thing is certain: unpaved roads produce dust and lots of it as you already know. Those charged with dust control on such roads are always looking for efficient and cost-effective solutions. There are a number of products for each unique situation.

When seeking a low-chloride solution for dust control, consider BaseBind®, EnviroTech’s proprietary binder that stabilizes the road surface. Creating a barrier that resists evaporation of water, it rejuvenates itself by absorbing water from beneath. It requires a lot less chlorides because the binder holds moisture – preventing evaporation. BaseBind® is gentler to the soil and a better choice for roads in any sensitive area such as orchards, croplands, forests, protected wetlands and other ecologically sensitive environments.

Whether you are a farmer, miner, or landfill manager, the two most important keys to successful dust control are finding a product that is tailored to address your needs, and to make sure you are using it in the most effective manner.

The manager of the Larimer County Landfill, on the outskirts of Ft. Collins, Colorado, was looking for a method that would control the dust problem on the landfill's roads while reducing the drain on the city's water supply. The only dust-reduction in use at the time was plain water at an application rate of four to six truckloads per day, six days per week for a total of approximately 126,000 gallons per week. He consulted with EnviroTech Services Inc. and decided to implement their recommended plan of using X-Hesion Pro® (XPro).