Snow may be white when laying on the ground, but getting rid of it takes green.
Dealing with the snow that’s fallen over the last month, the cost for labor, salt and salt brine is running in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for Chattanooga. In surrounding communities, costs are running as high as $35,000.
In Chattanooga alone, the last two snow events cost almost $214,000 for overtime, salt, sand and salt brine, said Jimmy Templeton, the city’s director of citywide services.
More than 1,600 gallons of salt were dumped on Chattanooga streets to remove ice during the last two storms, Mr. Templeton said. Before this year, the city only had to handle isolated spots on bridges and in tunnels, he said.
“Over the last five years, this is the most we’ve ever used,” he said.