Should you remove or relocate excess snow?

After several winter weather events, plowed piles of snow can start building to potentially dangerous levels on your property, prompting the need to relocate snow piles or remove them entirely.

When thinking about snow removal or relocation, there are a few things to consider:

Where is the snow piled?

We often come across clients who think it’s easy to push snow to an out of the way area of their property during a snow event. While that might be true for smaller lots, when we get into larger locations it can be difficult to make that happen. Some things we consider when deciding where to locate snow piles include:

Islands – Where are they, and how do they impact plowing? In heavy snow, manoeuvring around an island can sometimes bog down even the largest loaders

Straight pushes – It is always best for us to plow in straight lines and pile snow at the end of a parking lot. The ability to do this could impact the price of the contract, so it is in a client’s best interest to pick snow pile areas that allow for straight pushes

Traffic flow – When the lot is busy and we have to clear lanes, it can become quite dangerous. Piles should be located where they allow for easy daytime access

Once piles grow too large, should you relocate or remove?
Relocate – This is largely dictated by the space available on your property, however there are other factors to consider:

• Blowers can be effective at stacking piles quite high, but generally cost more per hour than a truck or loader.
• If you park in the front of your building and have ample space at the back, relocating might be best. Many clients take advantage of our 6 cubic yard baskets. These can move about 6-8 cubic yards of snow in one bucket depending on the compaction of the snow. A triaxle truck holds about 25 yards, so in approximately 4 buckets, you have moved an entire truckload. Multiply that by how many bucket loads a good operator can do in one hour, and you are saving considerable money by relocating snow on your own property.

Remove – This option is generally best for properties short on space and for those who don’t want a mountain of snow in their parking lot until the middle of May. Although removal can be costly, snow is part of living in Ottawa, and the removal of that snow is sometimes the only way to go.

No matter what method you prefer, Clintar Landscape Management can help you understand the costs and the benefits to proactively managing your snow piles. Don’t hope for a mid-January thaw – it will melt little piles around curb lines, but it will do nothing for the 600 yards of snow piled in the corner!! Call us today and let us help you devise the best game plan.