LAKEWOOD, Ohio – Mayor Michael Summers is warning motorists traveling through Lakewood to drive carefully because roads are slippery as the city is running precariously low on salt.

The city's road salt supplier, Morton Salt Inc., has failed to deliver 1,000 tons back-ordered by the city, according to the mayor's office.



A Morton spokeswoman said a higher demand for salt this year because of heavy snow and colder than normal temperatures has delayed shipments.

"The surge in demand for salt can delay deliveries as we try to balance the needs of all our customers," said company spokeswoman Denise Lauer. "We are working closely with the city and taking a number of steps to deliver on their salt orders as quickly as possible."

Lakewood has placed orders with other vendors. City officials said those deliveries could take some time since the other vendors will give priority to their regular customers already under contract.

Lakewood also is contacting other local governments to see if it can purchase salt from them. However, Lakewood is not alone in running low on salt supplies. Canton also is running low salt, Summers said.

"They are parceling it out a little bit here and there," Summers said of Morton. "My sense is there are a lot of communities that face this situation."

Pepper Pike reported a shortage earlier this month. A Pepper Pike Service Department employee said Monday that the city is down to about 350 tons of salt and has 1,700 more tons on order from Morton that has not been delivered. Some of those orders date back to Dec. 16. In the meantime, Pepper Pike is ordering salt from competitor Cargill Inc. to fill the void. Cargill delivered 50 tons to Pepper Pike Monday, the employee said.

Pepper Pike received a request from Lakewood to sell or loan them road salt, but the Pepper Pike employee said the city had none to spare.

Meanwhile, Lakewood is looking at all options, according to the mayor's office.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our residents, and getting salt to clear our streets is a big part of that," Summers said. "Unfortunately, we have had promises repeatedly broken by Morton."

While the city waits for delivery, plow trucks have been clearing the streets of snow. But the removal of the final slick layer of ice requires the use of salt. The heavy and frequent snowfalls this season, coupled with extreme cold temperatures that make salt less effective, have compounded the salt shortage.

Lakewood's typical salt storage is 1,500 tons, but the supply has dwindled to about 250 tons. During the shortage, the city is concentrating its remaining salt on hills and intersections. Lakewood has 2,200 tons on order, but Morton has only delivered 900 tons so far this season, Summers said.

Morton officials have promised the city additional salt should arrive this week.

Meanwhile, the city is looking into contractual remedies against Morton, Summers said.

Unusually cold temperatures later this week could compound problems with road conditions. Traditional salt loses much of its effectiveness when temperatures drop below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. However, some salts sprayed with liquid chemicals are effective at subzero temperatures.