WINTER FACILITY

MAINTENANCE SURVEY FOR

BUSINESSES

Summary Report Prepared by Sophie Hammond, BS

UW- Madison, Anticipated May 2023
on Behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
December 2022

WI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

 What best describes your role in winter property
maintenance?

Snow removal service contractor

Business owner receiving winter maintenance

services on property I lease

commercial property owner receiving winter

maintenance services

Commercial property owner conducting winter

maintenance services on my property

Multifamily residential property owner

receiving winter maintenance services
Multifamily residential property owner
conducting winter maintenance services on my
property

Other

The Winter Facility Maintenance Survey for Businesses was sent to individuals such
as snow removal contractors, business owners and commercial property owners in
charge of winter maintenance with the goal to collect data on people’s practices,
thoughts, and ideas relating to their winter salting practices. The survey was sent to
5000 individuals in August 2022 via email. It is not known if the information was
subsequently forwarded to others. The department received 63 responses.
Other roles included municipal services, university grounds managers, the highway
department, and the tribal roads program.

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

 What are the top factors that influence the way you
conduct winter road or property maintenance?

Reduce costs

Improve levels of service

Reduce damage to
infrastructure

Public/client interest

Slip and fall liability

Limited access to other

deicer products

Protection of water resources

other

Slip and fall liability is the number one influencer for how businesses conduct
winter road and property maintenance, followed by improving levels of service.
Another common response was injury prevention and ensuring the safety of the
motoring public. Having limited access to other deicer products is of lowest
influence.
93% of commercial property owners reported slip and fall liability as a top factor
for the way they conduct winter maintenance.
70% of snow removal service contractors reported improving levels of service as
a top factor.

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

“While reducing salt usage is a priority for us, we also feel that
we are at the mercy of our clients. Our property owners
(especially for commercial accounts like apartment buildings,
retail stores, gas stations, etc.) are extremely concerned with
slip and fall liability. It has become an expectation in recent
years to provide a ‘bare pavement.’”

“This is tough for us to navigate as the general public now

expects this and does not alter their behavior to adapt to
winter conditions (like wearing proper footwear with good
traction, for instance). We’re very interested in starting to use
brine, but the up-front costs are a deterrent. Maintenance
clients are often extremely price-sensitive.”

“Because of this, it makes more sense for us to justify our

financial investments in equipment to support our in-season
operations, rather than our winter maintenance services.
Cashflow is tight at the end of the year and even more so
during the winter months with unpredictable weather and
increasingly lower amounts of snowfall each year.”

“We would eventually like to move to a brine operation, but

the immediate investment (in equipment and training) is
difficult to justify for our small company. We typically employ
7-10 people at any given point in the year.”
- Snow removal service contractor

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

How familiar are you with the impacts of chlorides in
surface water, groundwater, and drinking water?

Most respondents are at

least somewhat familiar
with chloride’s impact on
surface water, ground
water, and drinking water,
however 22% are not
familiar with chloride’s
impact.

How familiar are you with the current status of the

state’s waters as it pertains to chloride’s impacts and
impairments?

Although the majority of

respondents are at least
somewhat familiar with the
current state of chlorides in
WI waters, at least 27% are
not familiar. Educating those
in charge of winter
maintenance about the
negative effects chlorides
have on water would be
beneficial and could help
reduce salt use in WI.

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

 Those that have attended at least one Salt Wise training are much more
likely to report that they are familiar with the current state of chlorides in
WI than those that have not:
50

45

40
Percent of Responses

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
Extremely very familiar somewhat not so familiar not at all familiar
familiar familiar

have attended have not attended

They are also more likely to report that they are familiar with chloride’s
impact on surface and ground water:
50

45

40
Percent of Responses

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
Extremely very familiar somewhat not so familiar not at all familiar
familiar familiar

have attended have not attended

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

 How much concern do you have about slip and fall
liability in icy conditions?

Slip and fall liability is of

great concern for over
73% of respondents and
is therefore a large factor
in the way they conduct
winter maintenance,
potentially leading to
over-salting.
Around 51% of
respondents would be
likely to change their
winter maintenance
practices if slip and fall
liability were no longer a
concern.

If it were no longer a concern, how likely would you be

to change your winter maintenance practices?

“OUR SERVICE CONTRACTS OUTLINE

THAT WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR
INJURY. SO, WHILE WE DO NOT
ASSUME LIABILITY OURSELVES AS A
PROVIDER, OUR CLIENTS ARE STILL
EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT
THIS, WHICH IMPACTS HOW THEY
DIRECT US TO SERVICE THEIR
PROPERTIES.” – SNOW REMOVAL
SERVICE CONTRACTOR

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

Is your organization currently using brine for winter road
property maintenance?

70% OF RESPONDENTS
WHO HAVE ATTENDED AT
LEAST 1 SALT WISE
TRAINING REPORTED
USING BRINE, COMPARED
TO ONLY 5.5% OF THOSE
WHO HAVE NEVER
ATTENDED.

54% OF SNOW REMOVAL SERVICE CONTRACTORS, 21% OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

OWNERS, AND 60% OF THE UNIVERSITIES REPORTED THAT THEY USE BRINE

How long has your organization been using brine?

ALTHOUGH 60% OF
RESPONDENTS REPORTED
NOT USING BRINE, SOME
OF THEM NOTED THAT
THEY USE TECHNOLOGY
SUCH AS HEATED MATS
AND ADVANCED
SNOWPLOWS TO HELP
REDUCE THEIR SALT USE
AND ARE IN GENERAL
CAUTIOUS ABOUT THE
AMOUNT OF SALT USED.

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

 Why did you start using brine?

To reduce costs

To provide an improved
level of service

To reduce damage to
infrastructure

Because of public/client
interest

Because of limited access

to other deicing products

Because of concerns about

impacts to the surface and
ground water

The top reason for why respondents started using brine is to provide an
improved level of service. Almost 70% of respondents reported that they use
brine to limit the impacts of chloride to surface and ground water, and brine
users report more familiarity with chloride’s impact in general:

60

50
Percent of Responses

40

30

20

10

0
Extremely very familiar somewhat not so familiar not at all familiar
familiar familiar

Uses brine Does not

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey
Since using brine, what changes have you noticed?
“WE REDUCED SALT USAGE BY AT
LEAST A THIRD. WITH A GOOD
PLOW WE ARE ABLE TO SCRAPE
MUCH CLEANER WHEN DOING A
PRE-STORM APPLICATION, WHICH
ALLOWS US TO USE
SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SALT POST
PLOWING.”
Many noted how brine has
eased their winter
maintenance process, making
it easier and quicker to clear
roads and requiring less labor.
“THE PAVEMENT CONDITIONS
WERE NOT DRASTICALLY
CHANGED BUT THE NORM PEOPLE
WERE USED TO WAS A
COMPLETELY SPOTLESS PARKING
LOT AND SIDEWALK. WE HAD TO
EDUCATE TO CHANGE THE
EXPECTATION.”
WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey
Many people have noted a
reduction in salt use after using
brine, and the results are
generally positive. It’s also
reported that a reduction in
granular salt has resulted in less
salt being tracked into buildings,
reducing damage.
“BRINE HELPS KEEP SNOW FROM
STICKING TO CONCRETE, MAKING
IT EASIER TO REMOVE.”
Some also reported
complaints from the public,
such as the expectation of ice-
free roads and the belief that
brine causes rust on vehicles.
Educating the public is one
way to combat this problem.
What product are you using for brine?

MOST BRINE USERS DO NOT USE

MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM
CHLORIDE, OR NON-CHLORIDE
LIQUIDS.
THE MOST COMMONLY USED BRINE
IS SODIUM CHLORIDE, AND IT IS
USED FOR DE-ICING, PRE-WETTING,
AND ANTI-ICING.

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

What factors influence your choice not to use
brine?

The top reason for why respondents do not use brine is the cost of
equipment, followed by storage and being unfamiliar with the technique.
This represents 42% of respondents, indicating a need for education
regarding brine application.
Another common response was that it’s not a service that is available to
them locally or their vendor/contractor does not offer it.

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

 If there was a class that could teach you how to
save money better and get better results, would you
want to learn?

If yes, which option best describes your interests:

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey

What best describes how familiar you are with the WI
Salt Wise Training?

I have gone through the

training and earned WI salt
wise champion status

I have heard of it, attended, and

made some changes to winter
maintenance “All [staff] have attended Salt
Wise training. It has shaped the
I have heard of it and way we conduct winter
attended maintenance, especially
calibrating salting equipment.”
I have heard of it but have
not attended

I have never heard of it

Of the 36.8% of respondents that have earned WI Salt Wise champion

status…
• 77% are very or extremely familiar with the impacts of chlorides on
surface and ground water
• 38.5% are very or extremely familiar with the current state of
chlorides in surface, ground, and drinking water in WI
• 85.7% are currently using brine for their winter road maintenance

WI DNR Winter Facility Maintenance Survey