A salty situation

The city is tossing around millions of dollars and lots of it is going right down the drain.

Heavy machinery operators load road salt into distribution trucks at a holding facility along South Clinton Street in East Baltimore. (The Daily Record/Maximilian Franz)

The storm drain, that is. The rest is getting crushed under our boots and wiped at our doorsteps.

We’re talking about salt, people, and it’s a serious conversation this year.

The city has spent $8.1 million since October 2011 for road salt to be scattered over city streets to help melt snow and ice.

The original contract in 2011 was for $6.1 million, but at Wednesday’s Board of Estimates meeting, the city approved an increase of $2 million due to the heavier-than-anticipated snowfall recently.

The contractors are Eastern Salt Co. Inc. and International Salt Co. LLC.