Forsyth County applies salt, winterizes water and sewer plants ahead of ice

Forsyth County prepared several days in advance for an ice event that blanketed Metro Atlanta on Sunday, Jan. 25, taking steps to protect utilities and keep key routes open for residents.

County crews winterized water and sewer plants on Jan. 23 and held coordination meetings that day to review National Weather Service forecasts and emergency plans. That pre-storm work included staging de-icing materials and placing chainsaw crews on standby to clear downed vegetation. Parks and Recreation rescheduled outdoor events and county officials issued bulletins and advisories on their webpage and social media channels in the days leading up to the storm.

The county activated its Emergency Operations Center at 2 p.m. Jan. 24, a move that prompted increased staffing. Jon Wilcox reported that "The county activated its Emergency Operations Center at 2 p.m. Jan. 24, the day before the Sunday storm, with some staff operating around the clock." That same morning crews spread 26 loads of salt mix on roadways using four salt trucks, and maintenance crews performed checks and preparations on salt equipment.

When ice accumulated across the region on Jan. 25, county crews plowed and salted roads and continued to monitor conditions. An Appenmedia photograph labeled FH 0129 FC ice storm 1.jpeg shows "A truck applies salt to an iced road in Forsyth County Jan. 25," while FH 0129 FC ice storm 3.jpg is captioned "Forsyth County staff work on a salt truck Jan. 24 ahead of icy weather," and FH 0129 FC ice storm 2.jpg reads "County staff meet Jan. 23 ahead of forecasted icy weather." Appenmedia is credited for those images in the coverage.

Forsyth County’s Roads & Bridges Division outlines the scope of its responsibilities and readiness. The department states that "Roads and Bridges staff also remain ready to respond to emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week by removing roadway debris resulting from vehicular accidents, clearing storm-related debris from roadways, plowing and spreading salt before and during ice and snow events and closing and barricading roads which have been determined to pose a danger to drivers." The division maintains approximately 1,200 miles of asphalt roads and 30 miles of gravel roads across the county, and the Engineering Department annually identifies roughly 50 miles of roads for resurfacing. The Roads & Bridges division works approximately 25 miles ahead of paving contractors to perform necessary deep patching and coordinate milling when required.

Nonessential county offices remained closed through Jan. 26 as crews continued post-storm monitoring. For residents, the concrete outcomes were treated roadways during the storm and continuity steps for water and sewer systems taken before temperatures fell. Officials say monitoring and recovery work will continue; county communications have indicated that further updates and advisories will be posted on the county’s official channels as conditions evolve.