By late February a snow removal company in Inver Grove Heights, MN, is no longer solving the same problem it solved in November.
Clearing an inch off a parking lot is simple when there is room at the edges. The harder question, and the one that decides how a Minnesota site functions in March, is where all of that snow has been going since the season started.
River Heights Outdoor Solutions has worked through Twin Cities winters since 2007, and the team stays fully staffed year round with an eye on the forecast around the clock.
Watching the forecast is how the piles get planned rather than discovered, because piles are a design decision, not a leftover.
Related: What Full-Service Lawn Maintenance Includes in Inver Grove Heights, MN
Why Does Snow Pile Placement Matter More Than People Expect?
Snow pile placement matters because a pile in the wrong spot takes parking out of service for four months and then floods something when it melts. Both costs land on the property owner rather than on the storm.
A pile on the high side of a lot drains across the pavement every time it thaws and refreezes overnight, which turns the melt into the ice problem. Placed low and near an inlet, the same volume leaves quietly.
When Does Snow Have to Be Relocated or Hauled Away?
Snow has to be relocated or hauled away when the piles stop having anywhere to grow, or when what they are blocking matters more than the cost of moving them. Sightlines at an exit, fire lanes, loading docks and accessible stalls are the usual triggers.
Our snow services include on-site pile relocation and offsite hauling and disposal for exactly this reason, because by February the difference between a usable site and a congested one is often just floor space.
How Does a Long Minnesota Season Change a Snow Removal Plan?
A long Minnesota season changes the plan because snow does not reset between storms. A season that runs from November into April piles snow on top of snow that did not melt, and the piles compact into something closer to ice than powder.
That matters because compacted piles no longer shrink much in a thaw, and they take a loader rather than a plow to move. Planning for that in October is cheaper than discovering it in February.
Related: What Full-Service Lawn Maintenance Includes in Inver Grove Heights, MN
What Is the Difference Between Plowing and Ice Management?
Plowing moves the accumulation, while ice management deals with what is left behind and what forms afterward, which on a Minnesota site is frequently the greater liability.
Liquid brine applied before a storm keeps the first layer from bonding to the pavement. Granular salt applied after deals with what did bond. They are separate jobs on separate timings, and a site needs both.
Who Decides Which Surfaces Get Cleared First in a Snow Event?
The property owner and the snow removal company decide clearing priority together, and that order should be settled before the season rather than during a storm at four in the morning.
Driveways, sidewalks, parking areas and entries all have different urgency depending on who uses the property and when.
Our crews work from an agreed order of priority for each site, which is what makes a response predictable rather than improvised.
Setting Up a Snow Removal Plan Before the First Storm
If nobody has decided where this winter’s snow is going, the storm will decide it.
Contact River Heights Outdoor Solutions to walk your property and plan pile placement, priorities and ice management before the season starts in Inver Grove Heights.
In Summary
How much room does a property need to set aside for snow storage?
A property needs to set aside more snow storage than most sites allow for, and the figure depends on the paved area and how much of the season’s accumulation stays put. The practical test is whether the piles from a heavy January still leave every parking stall, fire lane and accessible route usable, because that is the point at which hauling becomes the cheaper option.
Can snow piles damage landscaping?
Snow piles damage landscaping mostly in ways that show up the following spring rather than during the winter. Turf under a long-standing pile suffers from the weight and from the chloride that came off the pavement with the snow. Keeping piles off planting beds and away from the base of shrubs is part of deciding where they go.
What should be agreed with a snow contractor before November?
Before November, a property should agree with its snow contractor on where the piles go, which surfaces get cleared in what order, and at what point snow gets relocated or hauled rather than pushed further. Settling those three in the fall is what lets a River Heights Outdoor Solutions crew work a storm without phoning for decisions.