BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Western New York faces a rock salt shortage, impacting local municipalities and snow removal efforts as winter conditions persist.
The shortage, primarily due to supply issues at American Rock Salt, has led cities and towns in the region to warn residents about potentially slick road conditions.
Municipalities are scaling back their salt usage to conserve supplies.
"We ask people to always be prepared for the worst," said Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Executive, emphasizing caution during winter weather. "We remind everybody to exercise common sense. If you don't need to go out in the bitter cold temperatures, especially if it's snowing, don't go out. If it's an emergency and something happens, call 911. We will respond."
Nate Marton, Commissioner of the City of Buffalo Department of Public Works, assured that Buffalo is managing its salt supplies by utilizing an emergency stockpile, during a City Council meeting Tuesday.
"We do have our emergency pile at the Perry Street Projects that's under construction. We've been taking salt from there for about the last week and a half because of the delivery schedule that has been delayed from that perspective," Marton said.
Supervisor of the Town of Tonawanda Joe Eminger stated, "We have approximately 1,000 tons of rock salt in our barns right now. That sounds like a lot but it really isn't, considering it takes about 250 tons of salt to do the entire town."
He highlighted the need for strategic salt use.
"We decided to do two things: we decided only to salt the main roads and, which is a big one, to salt the intersections that have stop signs at them," Eminger said.
Marton mentioned that salt production facilities have prioritized municipalities over private contractors, which has affected private snow removal companies.
Connor Kolb, a contractor with WNY Snow Removal, noted that American Rock Salt has temporarily cut off supplies to private companies like the one he is a partner with, stressing the importance of early communication with customers.
As Western New York continues to navigate the challenges of winter, local officials are urging residents to exercise caution and be prepared for changing road conditions due to the ongoing salt shortage.
7 News reached out to American Rock Salt for an update on its salt inventory and has yet to hear back.
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