Deicing Materials 101

Educating the Politician

Created by Carol Webb, Regulatory Government Affairs Manager

Larry Schneider, Streets Superintendent

City of Fort Collins

Fort Collins, Colorado

• Ranked #1 Best City in the Nation by Money Magazine in 2006, No.2 in 2008

• Street Lane Miles – 1,793• Population – 134,000• Colorado State University—22,000 • Snow Storms – 16• Liquid Use – 425,000 gallons avg. per year• Granular Use – 4,000 tons avg. per year

CSU Campus

December 2006

City Council Question

• Today’s world is changing– Internet age

• More Information is available for citizens to read/obtain and so, more questions arise

– Environmental concerns• Ex. Concerns of deicing products damaging

roadside vegetation, personal property, corrosion, etc.

– Complaints and concerns• Funneled down to local governments and elected

officials

Steel beams showing corrosion

How do you educate the Politian?

• Environment vs. cost vs. safe roads

• The Mayor McNichols’ factor

• What does this mean for us?– How to establish credibility with elected officials?

• Understand where questions are coming from• See it from a different their point of view• Annual collection of data from local steams, ponds, tissue

from roadsides, dirt, etc.

Collecting and communicating the facts

– Collection of data– Communicating factual information to the

public and to elected officials– Keeping everyone informed of the information– Best management practices

Council requestsTo Whom it may concern,

Please prepare a two page memo about our city’s deicing materials.

Sincerely,Kelley Olson(City Council Member)

Dear Larry,Get your ass moving on this on this memo ASAP! Or, meet me at the lashing pole.

Sincerely, Mark Jackson(Your Boss)

Dear Mark,

I am going to need more than two pages!

Sincerely,

Larry Schneider(Streets Supervisor)

Council requests

The two page memo

• The Streets Department staff created a two page report outlining the products we use, why we use them, pros and cons of each

• Two pages limited our ability to address the concerns

• What happened?– The memo was rejected by the City Council member

Kelly Olson– We learned that the Regulatory and Government

Affairs group was asked to prepare the same information for council

• RGA was seen as an independent source of information

The two page memo

• What we learned– Should have had RGA involved at the

beginning

Regulatory and Government Affairs

• RGA Mission: – Administer programs and provide services for environmental

compliance and environmental stewardship so that customers may comply with applicable environmental regulations and sustain a healthy environment.”

• Five Environmental Regulatory Specialists• Regulated Waste Management• Water Quality – stormwater, drinking water, wastewater• Air Quality• Pollution Prevention Services• Review of Phase I/II Environmental Assessments• Training• Various projects

Environmental Management Team

• 2007 – RGA Division formed the city-wide Environmental Management Team– EMT Mission:

• Develop and implement action plans for city-wide environmental regulatory compliance consistent with the City’s environmental policy.

• Assess current environmental management procedures and communicate current and future environmental regulatory requirements and programs to city workgroups.

Chemical Materials Review

• February 2007– RGA received a request from the City

Manager’s office for research on the types of materials used by City operations for

• Fertilizers• Pesticides/Herbicides• Deicing functions

– Request originated from City Council member concerned with environmental impacts of Chemical Materials used in City Operations

Chemical Materials Review

• A cross-departmental workgroup was formed out of the Environmental Management Team

• Team members included Streets, Parks, Natural Areas, Purchasing, and RGA

Chemical Materials Review

• Scope of review focused on chemicals used in Streets, Parks, and Natural Areas

• Review was limited to those chemicals used in the largest volumes

• General information on toxicity, performance, cost, and purchasing strategies for these chemicals was included

• Comparisons were made to products used by other municipalities/jurisdictions in our general region, depending on the information available.

• General information was included on best management practices.

• A library of Material Safety Data Sheets was provided

Evaluation of Deicing Materials

• Worked closely with Streets Superintendent and Supervisor to provide accurate information

• Objectively analyzed materials provided by internal staff and compared to industry best practices and standards.

• Attempted to provide an objective analysis within defined scope

Evaluation of Deicing Materials

• Analysis showed a well-balanced approach to selecting and applying snow/ice control products

• Reviewed several technical papers showing pros/cons to granular and liquid deicers

• Made recommendations based on research and conversations with staff

Chemical Materials Review

• White paper was reviewed by City Manager and staff

• Still to come: presentation to City Council• Possible Issues

– Some council members may already have drawn conclusions, not open to additional information

– Prefer an outside review– May find information too technical

Tips

• Proactively educate elected officials and the public– Computer/internet– Brochures

• Understand the facts about the products you are using• Include independent studies done to decrease damage

to property and environment • A two page memo is not impossible if you know your

audience and know what they need to know • Two-way communication would make things easier, but it

doesn’t always exist

Questions?