It has been a snow season for the books. We were buried under so much of the white stuff in four out of six days, it will take forever to see the lawn again. Fortunately all the neighbors pitched in to dig everybody out, but the problem of snow storage still exists.
The lawns are piled up with snow; the sidewalks are surrounded on all sides by snow. The city of Philadelphia, like many others, decided not to haul truckloads of snow to the waterways for dumping. The environmental effects of putting snow inundated with lawn chemicals and other contaminants into the river make it an unwise choice.
So what do we do with what could be called the weather equivalent of the houseguest who won’t leave?
I wonder why we can’t melt and treat the water, then put it in the waterways? Wouldn’t that create jobs and provide insurance against drought in the summer? Can’t we send treated water to places like Haiti and Darfur? Can’t it be used in manufacturing?
Maybe we should all hold statewide ice hotel contests and make buildings and sculptures out of snow in our arena parking lots or local fields.
How about one big nationwide snowball fight?
There has to be a way to get rid of this stuff. My driveway apron is so narrow, parking on the street should be temporarily banned, but it isn’t going to happen. Sometimes driving around the cars parked on the street is like playing a real life video game; the only problem would be if you miss a turn.
Snow is a necessary part of nature, but our society has yet to figure out how to live with it. At least rain water runs off, but this frozen stuff hangs out for ever. Also, we’re in for more of it, and it’s only February.
I don’t want to see what happens if and when all this accumulation starts melting.
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