Snow Control Salt Storage-- A Premier Use for Monolithic Domes
January 5, 2004
by Kris Garrison
"Shotcrete domes... are the most common salt storage structures being built today." Rocky Mountain Construction
For many years highway departments and airports would stockpile salt outdoors near runways and major thoroughfares to simplify de-icing of roads and runways. This practice was halted when it became clear that if the salt pile got wet, the run-off would make its way into nearby streams, concentrate heavily in a certain area and kill off the vegetation.
(Note: There doesn't seem to be much problem with salt run-off when spread out on the streets. The problem occurs with run-off from a concentrated source-- like a pile.)
Currently salt is stockpiled indoors in industrial storage units.
Any building that will hold salt can certainly be used as a storage, but metal buildings tend to rust away very rapidly when storing salt. The condensation, rain, and wet conditions will put the ionized salt against the metal and destroy it fairly quickly.
Wood buildings do better than metal, but they have their own problems. Salt will rust the nail heads and tend to destroy anything corrodible within the storage. And wood storages do not stand up to damage from equipment mishaps very well. Many wood slat storages have been set on fire, either by accident or by vandals.
Monolithic Storages
Monolithic Domes are solid concrete on the inside. Concrete will stand up much better to salt damage than just about any other building material. The domes are so strong it would be difficult to damage it with a front-end loader. They are also fire-resistant and provide protection from vandals.
The Monolithic Dome is also super-insulated. This insulation and Airform covering protect the building from water. Condensation is virtually non-existent with a Monolithic Dome, therefore the salt within the dome stays dry. Dry salt in not nearly as corrosive as wet salt.
The Monolithic Dome costs about as much as wood structures. But the life expectancy of a dome is so much longer than that of wood and/or metal building for storage of salt, that it was determined years ago that the best salt storages are Monolithic Domes.
Recommendations by Rocky Mountain Construction for selecting salt storage sites:
- Safety for those who work in or use the storage area and for those driving by on access roads, plus security to keep out persons who have no business at the site.
- Easy accessibility to the site and in and out of the storage facility itself
- Compliance with local ordinances and regulations
- Attractiveness, with well-maintained buildings and good on-site housekeeping
- Economy, that is, avoiding waste of salt from inclement weather, and locating the storage facility to avoid long distance hauling
- Controlled drainage from the stockpile, which should be on a properly sloped bituminous pad and containment of drainage to avoid environmental problems with the surrounding area.
References
- "Covered salt storage essential to good snow control operation." Rocky Mountain Construction, September 19, 1988, P. N-19
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