Cold snap's cost: A breakdown
Officials across Georgia are shelling out for costs related to the recent cold snap, from road salt supplies to fixing broken water mains. Few governments had a final tally of their costs, but some provided a smattering. Most of the following are estimates:
- Georgia DOT
Salt, gravel, de-icer supplies: more than $940,000
Includes at least 9,000 tons of salt and gravel spread, 1,500 gallons of de-icer
Operating equipment: about $350,000
Labor: about $400,000. This likely is not extra cost, but will be hours taken away from normal maintenance tasks.
- Fulton County
County sand and salt: $6,860
County overtime: $4,231
School system sanding and salting: $7,500
- DeKalb County
School system: used up its salt and sand supply
County supplies, overtime and damages: $250,000
Including:
Water main repairs: $80,000
County building damages: $25,000
- Cobb County
400 tons of sand and salt: $70,000
Cobb DOT overtime: $22,000
Cobb parks department overtime: $8,600
- Gwinnett County
About 15 county trucks spreading sand and salt: $40,000 to $50,000
Gwinnett County Schools de-icing materials and labor: about $10,000
- Atlanta
Sand and salt: $82,850
Overtime from sanding and salting: $37,500
- Alpharetta
Labor: $19,919
Sand and salt: $2,992
- Kennesaw
Overtime: $2,300
Roads materials: $1,000
- Milton
Police overtime: $1,350
Vehicle damage: $1,050
- Decatur
Sanding and salting: $2,000
- Sandy Springs
City and contractor crews sanded and salted 54 miles of road
Sources: city and county governments; Georgia DOT; school systems
Shane Blatt, Ralph Ellis, Pat Fox, Ariel Hart, April Hunt, Megan Matteucci, Gracie Staples, Eric Stirgus and Steve Visser contributed to this list.
About the Author
Ariel Hart is a reporter on health care issues. She works on the AJC’s health team and has reported on subjects including the Voting Rights Act and transportation.
