PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Recent winter weather events are starting to put a strain on the rock salt supply for some in Northeast Wisconsin.
Others are blaming shipping delays for impacting supplies locally.
Heavy snow in early December and threats of freezing rain and ice this week are keeping cities, counties and independent contractors who clear snow and ice busy. All that work is starting to deplete salt supplies.
“Winter the last couple of years hasn’t been too bad, and then all of a sudden now, you know, it’s all these little one-two inches that’s really eaten up the salt,” said Tony Fietzer, street superintendent for the city of De Pere.
De Pere says it has plenty of salt on hand, and it’s not concerned that it will run out of salt this winter season. Like other communities, De Pere orders its salt through the state, committing to buy a certain amount each year — with some wiggle room for additional product, should it be needed.
Fietzer said unlike in years past, the wiggle room is gone, and there is no extra salt to be had through the normal state supplier. He wasn’t given a reason.
But he did say, “I did reach out to a place in Chicago that has some, and that’s significantly more to get trucked up here, but that is something that there is a backup plan for, worst case scenario.”
Great Lake Salts doesn’t supply De Pere, but instead, contracts with small, independent businesses. It blames the shortage on shipping delays.
“There’s two major salt companies that did not bring enough salt into the state of Wisconsin early in the year,” said Brian Welch with Great Lakes Salt.
Welch claims those companies are now trying to play catch up, but it’s tough in these winter conditions.
“It’s slow-going. The weather’s different on the lake during this time of year also, so it isn’t a load up one day and turn that boat and headed back down, you’ll see in another week,” he added.
With independent contractors struggling to find salt, stores like Kimps Ace Hardware of Ashwaubenon are feeling the impact, too.
According to General Manager Jeff Baranczyk, “Pretty readily accessible, usually within about seven days, at the most. All of a sudden, going to start to place some reorders from the vendors, and they’re telling me it could be as far out as 60 [days].”
Baranczyk says he’s not only selling to regular customers, but independent contractors who can’t buy in bulk are turning to bags — buying him out. While he has more product on order, he’s not sure when he’ll see it.
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