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Less sand means easier cleanup for Winnipeg crews

Spring cleaning should take less time this year because the city used less sand on city streets this winter than it usually does.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO Enlarge Image

Spring cleaning should take less time this year because the city used less sand on city streets this winter than it usually does.

WINNIPEG - Winnipeg’s public works department spread less sand on city streets this past winter than it did during any other winter since the city began keeping records about this information 30 years ago.

Public works crews spread 47,000 tonnes of sand on city streets this past winter, said Bruce McPhail, the city’s street-maintenance manager.

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That’s down from almost 110,000 tonnes of sand spread during the winter of 2008-2009, when a pair of ice storms demanded the use of more materials.

Earlier this week, McPhail had said the city spread 60,000 tonnes, but later realized that figure also included salt.

As a result, the spring cleanup that gets underway on April 11 will be easier for city road-cleaning crews.

"The reduced amount of material to pick up this year is certainly a reflection of the winter and early spring that we have experienced and should result in a shorter cleanup period, weather permitting," McPhail said via e-mail.

Starting this spring, the city plans to clean and store the sand it collects and reuse it later. Winnipeg will be the second Canadian city to do this, after Edmonton.
 

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