National Weather Services meteorologists are warning Pittsburghers to expect a cold weekend, but not every community in Allegheny County has enough resources to battle the snow.
Scott Township announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the township is operating on “conservation mode” due to limited road salt supplies.
The township placed an order for 300 tons of road salt on Dec. 30 and an additional 200 tons around a week later, the post said. However, neither shipment has arrived since the orders were placed.
During a light snowfall the township said it typically requires approximately 30 tons of salt to complete a single pass around the area.
“At this time, the township has approximately 75–100 tons of salt on hand,” the post said.
Scott Township is 3.9 square miles and has a population of an estimated 17,370, according to Census Data from 2023.
The post warned that once temperatures drop below 18 degrees the township’s road salt usage “ increases significantly.”
According to the National Weather Service forecast — located in Moon — temperatures are expected to remain above 18 degrees during the day but will dip below once the sun goes down at night.
High and low temperatures in Scott Township as predicted by the National Weather Service for the rest of the week are as follows:
Today — high of 22 degrees; low of 16 degrees
Friday — high of 35 degrees; low of 30 degrees
Saturday — high of 38 degrees; low of 16 degrees
Sunday — high of 23 degrees; low of 15 degrees
The comments section on the post was restricted by the Scott Township Facebook account administrator on Thursday afternoon. However, the post had over 90 reactions and 75 shares.
“We have contacted neighboring municipalities both within Allegheny County and outside the County; however, many are experiencing similar supply shortages. We have also reached out to alternative salt providers,” the post said.
Voicemails for Scott Township officials, including Bert Smelko the public works foreman in Scott Township, were not returned immediately on Thursday.
“The township will continue to pursue alternative options to secure additional salt. In the interim, salt application will be limited to hills, intersections, and other critical areas to help ensure public safety,” the post said.
Brent Wasko, a spokesman for Allegheny County Public Works, said the county could not provide information on whether other municipalities are experiencing problems with salt supplies or shipments.
“We have experienced delays in salt delivery since about mid-December, which has depleted our salt supply. However, we typically store more salt than we immediately need in case of shipment delays, and we currently have enough to properly treat county-maintained roads at least for the next couple of weeks,” Stephan Shanley, Allegheny County public works director, said in a statement.
