This can't be good. Local municipalities are beginning to run low on the road salt needed to combat winter storms. To make matters worse, the area's biggest salt supplier, International Salt, was temporarily closed after one of its workers was crushed by a 100-foot high pile of rock salt. This stopped local deliveries.

Hanover Township Public Works Director Vince Milite told supervisors at their Jan. 28 meeting that their cupboard is bare. His road crew has just enough salt left for one pass if a snow storm hits any time soon.

Hanover ordered 500 tons from International Salt this year at a contract price of $59 per ton. But only 70 tons are left. Milite has ordered an additional 400 tons, and International Salt will honor the original price.

Milite and Township Manager Jay Finnigan must lock in prices for the following year in February. This forces them to estimate what the weather is going to like nearly a year in advance.

This year, they were off. They will spend nearly twice the $29,500 budgeted for road salt.

Hanover is by no means alone. Municipal officials in Freemansburg, Fountain Hill, East Allen Township , Bethlehem Township and Bethlehem have all gone over budget.

"This year was definitely untrendable," noted Fremansburg Borough Manager Judy Danko. "We haven't done this in a long time.

In Bethlehem, Public Works Director Michael Alkhal said the city has just gone over its $250,000 budget for road materials.

"We have less than what we're comfortable with and what we like to keep on hand," he noted. Alkhal added that, like other municipalities, the city is waiting for new deliveries.

Over the past three years, Alkhal has experimented on different road materials to discover one that is kind to budget, equipment, roads and environment. This has included the use of beet juice, or in the event of an emergency, using cinders prewetted with brine.

"We're OK, but if we get hit with multiple storms, we're in trouble," he concluded.

Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township are still under budget.

Cathy Hartranft, Hellertown's Borough manager, said she had 50 tons left over from last year. This season, over 250 tons have been used.

"We're going through it and the guys are tired," she observed. "We still have two months left."

Lower Saucon Township budgeted $125,000 for salt and other road materials this winter. Township Manager Jack Cahalan has gone through 767 of the 1,150 tons ordered in 35 call-outs. The township has just 100 tons of salt left, and is waiting for more.

"It's been a hard Winter," remarked Bethlehem Township Acting Manager Doug Bruce.