* News Release *

 

Friday, February 6, 1998 -- 3:30 p.m.

For Immediate Release

Butler County Engineer Dean C. Foster reports that the LEVEL 1 snow emergency for Butler County was lifted at 11:00 a.m. Friday. Conditions on Butler County roadways are very good to excellent following the massive two-day storm that hit southern Ohio this week. Some gradual warming and a few peaks of sunshine on Friday helped melt the slush that had remained following 55 hours of non-stop plowing and salting.

BCEO snow and ice control crews treated the 267 miles of County-maintained roads continuously from 6:30 Wednesday morning until mid-afternoon Friday. Most of Friday's treatments included clearing the roadway berms.

 

Motorists should expect to encounter wet pavement for several days as the snow melts. Wet roadways could refreeze in spots after dark. Utilize caution if you plan to drive at night or if temperatures drop below freezing. Motorists who commute south into Cincinnati should keep in mind that the city and its suburbs received 18 to 20 inches of heavy, wet snow from the storm; therefore, problems may persist.

 

Our crews reported widely varying snow depths around Butler County, with the heaviest accumulations in portions of Union and Ross Townships. Eight to nine inches were reported in those areas with generally lesser amounts -- 3 to 5 inches -- in the central and northern Townships.

 

The BCEO received numerous shipments of salt on Thursday afternoon and Friday. Salt supplies had begun to run low by Thursday morning because salt supply trucks had difficulties getting out of Cincinnati where the salt is unloaded from barges on the Ohio River. Approximately 950 tons of salt were spread by the BCEO snowfighters during the storm. The Engineer's Office normally budgets for 3,700 tons of salt for an average winter. Very little salt had been used during this relatively snow-free winter until this surprise storm hit.

 

The BCEO put in a total of 850 manhours for snow and ice control during this snow event; 480 of those hours were overtime hours. Fourteen trucks are typically utilized for snow and ice control, driven by two teams that work in twelve hour shifts.

# # #