Paul Levy, who oversaw the creation of the MWRA, explains why it makes no sense not to dump snow in the harbor, instead of using all that fuel to truck it to snow farms or melt it.
Yes, I know that snow on city streets picks up all kinds of chemicals and pollutants from the city environment, and I know it also picks up salt and chemical de-icers during its residence time.
But, instead of dumping this snow in the harbor, it gets trucked -- using thousands of gallons of fuel which create all kinds of air emissions -- to inland locations. What happens there? It melts, and those same pollutants enter the ground water system. Or they go into city storm drains, where they end up where? Boston Harbor.
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad:
Comments
I've wondered . . .
By Chris Dowd
Sun, 01/30/2011 - 1:18pm
. . . about this. How much of an environmental problem could it be to just dump snow in the harbor? Wasn't there a story on U-Hub about something called a "Snowzilla" that would render large amounts of snow suitable for dumping in the harbor?
Sorta
By adamg
Sun, 01/30/2011 - 1:26pm
Snowzilla is the jet-engine thing the T uses to clear the Mattapan Line of snow - by melting it. There are also companies that sell truck things that do the same basic thing, only with something less ginormous than the engine from a Korean War-era jet fighter.
Levy's issue is with the amount of fuel such gizmos use - and the amount of fuel the city has to buy now to truck the snow to its snow farms.
Gunk Prevention
By massmarrier
Sun, 01/30/2011 - 2:25pm
Plus, if the snow gets hauled quickly as many big cities do, it won't be full of toxic crap. The street salters often dump far too much, but when the streets are fairly free of snow and ice, they tend to restrain themselves.
Get the white stuff out of the way when it's still white. That's more passable streets, less pushing the disposal burden off on citizens, less polluting chemicals in the street and eventually down the sewer.
Trash and other particles
By Anon²
Sun, 01/30/2011 - 4:37pm
Trash and other particles would be my main concern.
With street sweepers stopping in November, and the ability of my inconsiderate southie neighbors to dump whatever wrappers and trash they have on them between the time they buy them at CVS and the time they get to their door...
not to mention all the frozen dog shit.