WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Delaware businesses and cities are stockpiling extra road salt after some exhausted supplies during last year's extra snowy season.
The Port of Wilmington will import about 350,000 metric tons of salt by year's end. And officials say the port is on pace to handle up to a million tons of salt to meet demands in Delaware, southern New Jersey and the five-county Philadelphia region.
That's compared to 250,000 tons that passed through the port last year.
The Wilmington News Journalreports that crews in three counties are preparing for snow equipment inspections, which begin this week. Mechanics will check hydraulic lines, headlights, horns and salt spreaders.
Last winter, snowfall totals broke records in many areas, blowing through city budgets for snow removal and causing salt shortages when demand exceeded supply.
