Snow & Ice Control
Snow & Ice Control Operations were established to combat winter storms while maintaining public safety and preventing damage to life and property. Plowing operations commence after 2” of snow accumulation. Salting operations will continue during plowing until conditions deem it unnecessary or ineffective. The Village of River Forest is responsible for 32 Centerline miles and 63.2 plower lane miles of Village Roadways. The Village also plows Municipal & Commuter lots, 33 Alleys and salts the 3 school district parking lots. The object of the program is to remove snow and ice within a reasonable period after the completion of a storm event. Public Works holds an Annual Snow and Ice Control Operations meeting with all crews to review existing operations, hear feedback from crews, and explain any new items that are implemented for the season. All Public Works employees are “on call” for snow and ice control. 24 hours a day, throughout the snow and ice season. Public Works uses the guidelines presented to design and prepare prior to each snow event and adjusts during the course of an event.
Program Details
Pre-Treatment
Public Works regularly pretreats Village Roadways prior to Snow Events. Salt brine pretreatment is a snow-fighting strategy that involves spraying brine on roads before a storm to prevent ice and snow from forming. It can also help roads return to normal faster. By pre-treating Village Streets Public works is reducing airborne salt particles, Better application to roadway surfaces, and Increased efficiency in snow and ice removal.
Salting Operations
The Village operates under a salt conservation policy which ensures sufficient amounts of salt without depleting limited resources and being environmentally conscious. Salt conservation, particularly regarding road salt used in winter, is crucial for environmental protection as excessive salt can significantly impact ecosystems by contaminating waterways, harming aquatic life, damaging vegetation along roadsides, and even affecting drinking water sources due to its persistence in the environment.
The methods remain in place and include:
- Increased emphasis on mechanical snow removal (i.e. plowing). In the past, more salt was applied during the midst of the event in an attempt to keep streets wet. Under a conservation mode, salt is primarily applied during the onset of the storm and at the completion. The intent is to minimize plowing of salt back onto the parkways.
- Reduced application rates and spinner speeds. The speed of the spinner determines how far salt is cast. The intent here is to minimize salt bouncing off the pavement and onto the parkways where it is not only wasted but is detrimental to grass and trees. Busy streets and school zones will continue to be reduced to bare pavement as soon as possible. The balance of the streets and alleys may see a delay in achieving bare pavement and may have intermittent snow pack at times.
Snow Plowing Operations
The Village is divided into three types of Routes/Zones:
Public Works crews plow according to these Routes and Zones. It first addresses Primary Routes, then the Secondary Zones and then addresses Alleys and Lots. Public Works will continue to plow and monitor road conditions.
Information for Property Owners
Village Ordinance prohibits the following: parking vehicles on any street or alley at any time after the snow on the street or alley exceeds two inches in depth and for an eight hour period following the cessation of the snowfall; and the placement of snow or ice on any Village-owned street, alley, sidewalk, or property.
Village Ordinance also requires property owners to clear the sidewalks adjacent to their properties (residential and business) of snow and ice within 24 hours after a snowfall.
To minimize the amount of snow that is pushed back onto your driveway apron from Village snow plows, it is recommended that you shovel, blow, and/or plow snow onto the parkway - to the right of your driveway when you are facing the street. Please do not shovel, blow, and/or plow snow directly onto the street or alley as it will likely be pushed back onto your driveway apron.
All private snow removal contractors providing service to residents and businesses must be properly licensed and bonded with the Village.