JUNEAU - It's nearly impossible to predict what a Wisconsin winter will bring, but right now Dodge County is in good shape with its salt supply despite a nationwide shortage, according to highway officials.

"We had a lot of events in December, but we're in good shape as to what we have available to use. Things are so fickle that I'm not going to tell you we're set, because no one can," said Highway Commissioner Brian Field

The county secured a contract with Morton Salt in December for an additional 5,000 tons of salt at a cost of $82.49 a ton. That price is nearly half the cost of a contract with Arlington Power Equipment that brought 6,000 ton of solar salt to Dodge County at a cost of $160 per ton in September. The county paid $46 per ton for salt in the record-setting winter of 2007.

Field said that Dodge County has always sought its own salt contracts — rather than partnering with neighboring communities or the state — and historically that has provided the county with an unlimited supply of salt at a reasonable cost.

"With a typical salt contract, you contract for an amount. The buyer has to buy 80 percent of that amount, and the vendor has to furnish up to 120 percent of that amount," Field said. "Last season, most of the Wisconsin communities hit the wall at 120 percent, and most vendors couldn't supply anymore after they met their obligations."

Field said last winter those counties were forced to "beg, barrow, steal, or move salt from one side of the state to the other to satisfy demand," while in Dodge County, "We called, they hauled."

The nationwide salt shortage this year left Dodge County highway officials scrambling to secure a salt contract last fall, and drove prices up.

Field points out that the highway department is not trying to save money by spreading less salt this year, rather, it is managing the available supply to ensure there's enough salt remaining for any possible March snowfalls. That means most county highways are being treated with a salt-sand ratio of 50 percent, as opposed to 33 percent in years past. When road conditions grow especially bad, patrol superintendents can elect to up the ratio to include more salt on county highways — and unmixed salt is always required on state highways.

Highway officials note say there are a number of common questions and misconceptions they hear from Dodge County motorists, including:

Who's responsible for maintaining the road I live on?

The Dodge County Highway Department provides snow and ice removal on county and state highways. County highways are lettered, state highways are numbered — and most roadways designated by words or names are the responsibility of townships, villages or cities. However, the county does provide snow removal in the towns of Clyman, Elba and Shields; and the village of Lowell.

 "The rest of them maintain their own equipment or contract with someone else," said Highway Commissioner Brian Field.

Why are snowplows still on the road days after a snowfall?

After clearing initial snowfall from a winter storm, Dodge County plow drivers begin clearing room along roadways to make room for the next snowfall.

"That winging back also keeps our pavement draining. If we allow those snow banks on the side of the road and there is a melt event or a rain event, there's nowhere for the water to go but to lay on the roadway," Field said.

Why do plow drivers stop spreading salt when they cross snow-covered sections of road?

Plow drivers are also forced to clear drifts from many roadways days after a snowfall, but Field said adding salt to such areas can make conditions worse.

"When snow is blowing across the road, if you salt through there it gets  wet, then the snow starts to accumulate and pile up. Depending on the drain into the land and the wind direction, if it's blowing and the pavement is essentially dry, if you salt there, you'll make a problem where you don't have one," he said.