The District manages a winter maintenance program to ensure public safety on District Roads during the winter months - from approximately November 1 to April 30. This includes staff and contractors working seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day as required.
Winter Maintenance Activities Include
- Winter road patrol and 24-hour winter weather watch
- Snowplowing
- Sanding and salting operations on District roads when necessary, including pre-wetting of salt and sand in selected areas
- Snow removal
In concert with Area Municipalities winter road maintenance is top priority.
Snowplowing Operations Guidelines
| Snowplowing Operations Guidelines |
| Level One - Bare Pavement |
- Applies to hard-surfaced District roads, or sections thereof, and shall be maintained as bare as possible through the continued use of all assigned labour, equipment and materials suited to the conditions
- Requires that the accumulation of snow on the road surface should not exceed 4 centimetres (1.5 inches) in depth
- When necessary, snowplowing, sanding and/or salting will be conducted to meet this requirement
- A minimum centre-bare condition (centre 2.5 meters or a wheel track bare condition), should be reached within twenty-four hours after the storm
- The use of salt is to be limited, in terms of both quantity and frequency, to prevent snow and ice from sticking to the pavement and is limited to those temperatures when salt is effective
- Salt treated with District approved pre-wetting agents can be effective up until -30 degrees Celsius (-20 degrees Fahrenheit) is reached
| | Level Two - Snow Packed |
- Applies to hard-surfaced District roads, or sections thereof, and shall be maintained in snow packed conditions through the continued use of all assigned labour, equipment and materials suited to the condition
- Requires that the road surface may be maintained in a snow packed condition, that the accumulation of snow on the road should not exceed 7.5 centimetres (3.0 inches) in depth
- When necessary, snowplowing will be conducted to meet this requirement
- Salt should never be applied to snow packed gravel surface roadways, it aids thawing of the packed snow during sunny periods, this increases the severity of potholes in the snow packed surfaces and then in the gravel surfaces in the spring
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| Related Information |
- Pre-determined routes for plowing, sanding, and salting shall be followed except in extreme emergency or critical situations, routes shall be reviewed and or revised annually
- Continuous sanding shall be carried out generally only during freezing rain or general icy conditions caused by failure of other treatment
- When it becomes evident that available resources are not sufficient to maintain roadways, the local OPP detachment shall be notified and they will determine if the road shall be closed
- Once equipment is dispatched for winter control purposes, operations shall continue until the prescribed level of service is achieved
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| Road Salt |
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The District currently utilizes rock sodium chloride (salt) and sand for winter control snow and ice management. We are an active member of the Ontario Road Salt Management Group (ORSMG) and through the Salt Management Plan work to manage application rates and use salt only as need with a responsible commitment to environmental principles.
| Salt Management Strategies |
- Equipment efficiency including the use of electronic spreader controls, infrared thermometers and pre-wetting equipment
- Weather monitoring and forecasting observations using the Ontario Ministry of Transportation's (MTO) Advanced Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS)
- Route optimization to make efficient use of time, money and material
- Improved interior and exterior storage and handling of salt
- Salt stored indoors has a mixed ratio of 3:97, 3% salt-to-sand and salt stored outdoors has a mixed ratio of 5:95, 5% salt-to-sand
| | Typical Application Rates |
- Salt
- 130 kg - 170 kg/2-lane kilometre
- Sand
- 325 kg/2-lane kilometres for spot application
- 570 kg/2-lane kilometres for continuous spreading
| | Reducing Salt Usage in Muskoka |
- Applying a de-icing agent, known as pre-wetting, to salt and or sand is more effective than the application of dry salt or sand and results in the use of less material
- Pre-wetting assists the material in 'sticking' to the surface of the road which ultimately means more material on the road and less in the ditch
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| Pre-Wetting |
| Pre-wetting is a process where pre-measured amounts of a de-icing chemical, magnesium chloride, is sprayed on the sand or salt before being dispensed from the bottom rear of the truck. This method helps the sand and or salt 'stick' to the roadway and excel the thawing process.
No de-icing agents are poured directly onto the roads.
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| Snow Removal |
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Snow banks are removed from the business section of District roads when the height reaches 30 centimetres (12 inches) and encroach onto the roadway. Snow removal operations take place at night from 7:00 p.m. to midnight and not on Saturdays, Sundays or statutory holidays.
Contractors or Area Municipalities are responsible for the safety of pedestrian and vehicular traffic while snow removal operations are being performed. This would include signs, barricades, traffic cones and flashing lights etc.
The snow will be transported to a facility where it can safely be disposed and will not harm the environment.
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