salt storage record table

Mapping of deicing material storage facilities in the Lake Champlain Basin was conducted during the late fall and winter of 2022-23. 126 towns were initially selected for mapping (some divisions within the GIS towns data are unincorporated “gores”). Using the list of towns, town clerk contact information was obtained from the Vermont Secretary of State’s website, which maintains a database of contact information for each town.

Each town was contacted to request information about their deicing material storage locations and methods. Email and telephone scripts were developed to briefly introduce the project and ask questions about the address of any deicing material storage locations in the town, type of materials stored at each site, duration of time each site has been used, whether materials on site are covered, and the type of surface the materials are stored on, if any.

 

Data were entered into a geospatial database application (Fulcrum). Information was gathered there and exported as ArcGIS file geodatabases and Comma Separated Values (CSV) files for use in Microsoft Excel. Data were collected for 118 towns out of the original 126 on the list (92%). Forty-three (43) towns reported that they are storing multiple materials types at their facilities. Four (4) towns have multiple sites where they store material (Dorset, Pawlet, Morristown, and Castleton). Of these, three (3) store multiple materials at one or both of their sites (Pawlet, Morristown, and Castleton). Where towns have multiple materials or locations, the record information from the overall town identifier is linked to the material stored using a unique ‘one-to-many’ identifier. Locations of deicing material facilities, as shown in the database, were based on the addresses or location descriptions provided by town staff members and was verified only using the most recent aerial imagery (typically later than 2018 for all towns). Locations have not been field verified, nor have site conditions and infrastructure or other information provided by town staff.