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![\"Peru,](\"\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/half-width__wide\/public\/uploads\/images\/Peru%20Plow%20Crew.jpeg?itok=DZNWRPms "\\"Plow")
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\n\tThe successes of the Peru Highway Department are credited to guidance, trainings,\u00a0and workshops offered by\u00a0WIT Advisers,\u00a0AdkAction, and the\u00a0Lake George Association. Through these efforts,\u00a0Farrell,\u00a0Jarvis, and the crew learned sustainable salting practices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFor\u00a0local\u00a0nonprofit organizations, promoting reduced\u00a0salt\u00a0use\u00a0was driven by concern for the environment and the damage\u00a0observed\u00a0over time. For the\u00a0local\u00a0community, protecting the environment was important, but reducing salt use also yielded significant cost savings. In the first year of implementing sustainable practices,\u00a0salt expenses\u00a0were reduced\u00a0by $72,000. In the second year,\u00a0use of sustainable practices resulted\u00a0in $82,000\u00a0in\u00a0savings. The third year is still underway. \u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe shift from a salt\/sand mixture to a\u00a0liquid\u00a0salt\/water mixture started unexpectedly. When a truck went out of service,\u00a0Jarvis\u00a0rigged up a\u00a0salt\/water\u00a0sprayer on an\u00a0available truck. After making a single pass on the road, he returned to the shop to find the rest of the crew waiting for\u00a0results.\u00a0The liquid-treated road was bare, while the others were still white with snow\u2014evidence that the salt\/sand mixture had yet to penetrate the snowy surface.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tToday, the Peru, NY\u00a0team pre-treats (anti-ices) their roads ahead of storms to help prevent the bond from forming between the ice\/snow and the pavement, making it easier to plow snow when it falls.\u202fFarrell and Jarvis\u00a0have reinvested their savings into new equipment to increase\u00a0their ability\u00a0to implement\u00a0sustainable salting practices. The team now uses eight remote cameras that\u00a0give\u00a0them\u00a0the ability to\u00a0monitor\u00a0road conditions without having to drive and manually inspect the roads, saving\u00a0them\u00a0thousands\u00a0of hours and miles of driving. This practice allows\u00a0Farrell\u00a0to activate his team at any hour of the day based on the conditions. The shift in practices has brought even more benefits\u2014the department now saves three weeks each spring that were previously spent\u00a0sweeping\u00a0leftover\u00a0sand\u00a0from\u00a0the roads.\u00a0<\/p>\n