Park City’s snow-removal operations, involving snowplows and snow-hauling dump trucks, among other equipment, were tested early in the winter, the Public Works Department reported recently.
Through the middle of January, the to-date snowfall in the 2010-2011 winter in Park City was the largest in 23 years, the report said. The snowfall totals are measured by a device in Thaynes Canyon.
The snowfall total by that time required a hauling operation in Old Town meant to remove snow that piled up on the sides of streets. Without the hauling, some streets in the neighborhood would become impassable for two-way traffic.
According to the report, the crews had hauled 11,500 cubic yards of snow by Jan. 5. In a typical winter, lasting from Nov. 15 until April 15, 15,000 cubic yards are hauled, the report said. The 11,500 figure represents 77 percent of the total in a normal year that had been hauled by Jan. 5.
“Good news for skiers but often bad news for homeowners who have already shoveled the equivalent amount of snow that wouldn’t have been experienced until Feb. 20 during a normal winter season,” the report said.
The region was pummeled by a series of early season snowstorms, including a major one around Thanksgiving.
“Many areas throughout Park City have already benefited from the efforts of our snow hauling crews,” the Public Works Department report said.
Meanwhile, City Hall tracks the price tag on the hauling operations, with the report saying it is an “extremely expensive undertaking.” The report said the price could be as high as $2,000 each hour for crew hauling snow from Main Street, lower Park Avenue or lower Empire Avenue.
It could take 10 hours to finish the hauling, costing upward of $20,000 for the operation each time it is conducted, the report said.
Waterworks officials, though, are likely pleased with the totals through the middle of January. Park City draws drinking water from sources that rely on snowmelt. In scant snowfall winters, the waterworks officials worry about shortages the next summer, particularly if dry, hot weather settles in during the spring and summer.