Dartmouth Snow Removal Policies Cost-Benefit Analysis

Dartmouth Snow Removal Policies Cost-Benefit Analysis Dartmouth Sustainability Office: Anthony Lafontant, Cecelia Shao, Maya Wilcher 14XPresentation OutlineIssue of InterestHow does Dartmouths current snow removal process compare to other options (i.e. the Snow Dragon) and what are the potential social, fiscal, and environmental concerns?Dartmouths Current Snow Removal ProcessGoal: To have campus (especially parking lots and roads that employees use) relatively safe and accessible by 7 AM. Main lots: North of Medical School (Dewey), Thompson, and CummingsCapacity: 4 one-ton trucks, loaders, plows Trucking occurs between 12-2 AM to avoid traffic De-icers: (1) rock salt, (2) salt manufactured sand mix, (3) manufactured sand Primary Concerns: College may want to build around parking lots in long termComplaints about trucking at nightEnvironmental & Social considerationspile of snow with gravel, sand, and black dirt across from the Farm

The Snow Dragon

Snow Dragon manufactures 4 standard models:SND580 ($172,000)SND900 ($226,000)SND1800 ($504,000)SND5400 (did not consider) The Snow Dragon ProcessThe SND900 is recommended for municipal purposes: schools, parking lots, and streetsWhen the SND is filled with water, it is not recommended to tow BUT the travel drain stores 300-400 gallons to allow for towing On-site snow can be used to continueSnow Dragon ConsiderationsConsiderations DetailsNoise Factor

35 dba at 5 ft. awayOperates on cul de sacs on residential streets at nightSalt/Sand Application

Amount may need to be considered * Basket only collects debris >1/8 in in diameter *Sand will accumulate on bottom & must be raked out and disposed of accordingly Storage

At end of season, wash out, perform maintenance, remove filter and store outside with drain and doors openDiesel Usage

550 gallon capacity SND900 model burns 60 gallons/hour

Operation

One- man operation *Machine is TLC controlled

Free training for full dayComes with manual, electrical drawings, etc...

Drainage System

NO chemicals or hydrocarbons added

SND Components

All parts are steel (burner, generator, pump) *Burners should be calibrated every year for efficiency *Pump consists of 3 parts that can be replaced (off-the- shelf = cheaper)1-year parts warranty

Case StudiesMiddleburyOpen campus compared to DartmouthHaul from 4-5 places if intense or back-to-back stormsGenerally plow snow behind curb, between trees & let nature works its courseCost-benefit analysis --> Snow Dragon didnt make sense since distance to hauling site was < 1 mile

Pretreatment called Ice BanUVMPurchased a Snow Dragon a few years ago to be used on a few of the smaller lots where snow storage was an issuereduce the amount hauled parking structurenoise of hauling with neighborsreduce impact of trucks/loaders on road & hopefully reduce costsFocused in one lot on their Athletic campusDue to the size they purchased, they have not been able to eliminate hauling snowThe contractor that operates it said in all honesty they could haul quicker than melt, but knowing UVM wanted to reduce the amount of loads hauled off site, they used the two methods in tandemMagic Salt has reduced the quantities of rock salt used and all but eliminated the need for winter sand

Snow Fall Scenarios& CalculationsGiven a snow storm of 6 inches...Snow DragonAt rate of 30 tons/hour:Light Snow- time & cost to melt46 hours ($14,220)Heavy Snow- time & cost to melt 107 hours ($33,190)Current SystemVia L&M, 13 tons to Fullington (ea. trip) @ L&M rate of $70/hr Light Snow- time & cost to haul31 hours ($2,174)Heavy Snow- time & cost to haul 72 hours ($5,076)Total average season costs63-inch season Thompson: 15%Dewey: 25%Cummings: 0% Snow DragonAt rate of 30 tons/hour:Light Snow- time & cost to melt386 hours ($119,117)Heavy Snow- time & cost to melt 902 hours ($277, 940)Current SystemVia L&M, 13 tons to Fullington (ea. trip) @ L&M rate of $70/hr Light Snow- time & cost to haul260 hours ($18,206)Heavy Snow- time & cost to haul 607 hours ($42,501)2014 Scenario Snow DragonAt rate of 30 tons/hour:Light Snow- time & cost to melt520 hours ($160,376)Heavy Snow- time & cost to melt1,214 hours ($374,450) Current SystemVia L&M, 13 tons to Fullington (ea. trip) @ L&M rate of $70/hr Light Snow- time & cost to haul350 hours ($24,517)Heavy Snow- time & cost to haul 817 hours ($57,235)Took data from amount of snowfall from 2014 and used our model to get an idea of how the Snow Dragon matched up performance-wise50/50 Scenario Light Snow - time & cost to melt254 hours ($78,548)Heavy Snow- time & cost to melt594 hours ($183,234) For the average seasons amount of snowfall & divided workPros & Cons Pros Cons Operate during the day (reduces overtime) QuietRequires just one person for the entire operationAble to reuse water Closed systemRelatively long shelf-lifeLot of support (training, materials, etc...)Discharge can be safely taken care of

Big upfront cost & more expensiveSubstantial diesel usage Future challenges (e.g. maintenance issues OR performance in local conditions etc...) unclear Pros ConsFamiliar with systemRelatively more flexible (more segments)Based on CBA, less costly

Requires overtime Emissions from trucks + noise Runoff from snow pile @ O farm has gravel, salt, and sand that goes into riverPrincipal-agent problem (L&M outsourcing)Snow DragonCurrent System14Specific Environmental Costs & ConcernsInputs Added (pre-treatment) Water Contamination (gravel, dirt, salt, sand)Emissions from diesel burning5-10 year trucks Heated water into streams Snow DragonLight Snow23, 185 gallonsHeavy Snow54,124 gallons Current SystemLight Snow20,749 gallonsHeavy Snow48,438 gallons Community Feedback & Focus GroupProblems: Cars are allowed to be left in the lot (hard to plow around)Pile in Dewey takes up spots/space (but there seems to be enough space even with this)Noise from backing up Resource-intensive > Snow Dragon would require less management & more environmentally friendly BUT Snow Dragon might not be appropriate for all locations Prefer more environmentally friendly option (but speed is 2nd most important concern)Concern about processing facility handling large influx of water Other primary concerns: (1) diesel usage, (2) space, (3) personnel, (4) speed, and (5) safety

Main Takeaways Options & RecommendationsSnow Dragon does not appear to be cost-effective (diesel costs). The time that both options take is around the same, but Snow Dragon cuts down management & variables > consistency Monitor L&Ms costs > streamlineImprove current system (pre-treatment options)Explore leasing opportunities