The Clermont County Engineer’s Office treats roads designated as County roads. We do not maintain village/city streets, residential/subdivision streets, Interstates, U.S., or State Routes. Please contact your local city or township, or the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for snow removal information on their road systems.

The Clermont County Engineer’s Office maintains a field staff sufficient to handle all snow and ice control for the county roads.  These workers are required to maintain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).  All full-time personnel work on highway crews year-round.

Clermont County Snow Routes – PDF (Snow Route mileage listed is centerline miles. Does not account for multiple lanes.)
2022-2023 Winter Report – PDF

Notes of Interest

• We maintain a state of readiness for winter weather from the beginning of November through the end of March.  During this time, two full teams alternate “On Call” status for first response to a snow event.  The team that is not “On Call” is still responsible to maintain readiness in the event that extended snow and ice cleanup requires more than twelve hours of work.
• The Foreman on call for the week and the Highway Operations Manager confer prior to all winter storms approaching the area.  These two determine the severity of the storm and the manpower needed to combat the situation.
• Anti-Icing is a technique of applying a chemical agent to the pavement prior to a covering of snow and ice.  De-Icing is the process of removing snow and ice after it has accumulated on the roads.  It is the policy of the Clermont County Engineer’s Office to use Anti-Icing techniques whenever possible.  This creates a salt brine over the roads and prevents hard packed snow from adhering to the roads.
• Only Sodium Chloride (salt), Calcium Chloride & Beet Heat are used on the county roads.  These chemicals are both operational and cost effective.
• Salt becomes less effective 15 degrees and below. It needs calcium, brine or beet heat mix added in to become more effective in melting the ice and snow.
• Calcium/Beet Heat is used to wet salt at the spinner on the truck and is effective to 10 degrees below zero.
• 2022-2023 Contract cost for salt is $90 per ton

Massive Snowfall Contingency

In the event of incapacitating severe winter storms, all county operations would be guided by the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) at the Communications Center.  Included in this operation are the County Sheriff, the County Engineer, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.  The individual township and municipal highway departments, and possibly the Ohio National Guard could also be included in these operations.  Decisions are made here, as to which roads will be cleared first based on emergency vehicles and access to hospitals.  From that point, roads are cleared on a basis of traffic use.  The Engineer’s Office along with the communications center, ODOT, and local governments are currently developing a more intense major event plan that addresses multiple issues.

Capabilities

18 Snow Routes

• Each route is 20 – 28 miles in length
• 2 Drivers maintain each Route (A & B Teams)
• Each Route uses a Single Axle Dump Truck with a capacity of 9 tons of salt
• It takes approx. 2-3 hours to complete a salting application (longer for plowing)

Facilities

• Batavia:
  • 5000 tons of salt stored under shelter
  • One Front End Loader and Operator/Mechanic
  • Dispatcher for all Routes (records all roads completed, handles problems)
  • Sr. Foreman controls all snow & ice coordination
• Washington Township “Buchanan House”
  • 1500 tons of salt stored under shelter
  • One Front End Loader
• Miami Township
  • 1000 tons of salt stored under shelter (at Township site)

SPECIAL NOTES

The Clermont County Engineer is not responsible for several snow & ice control aspects:

A. Mailboxes and fences damaged during snow removal will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Only those mailboxes and fences that were properly located and installed, and which were damaged by actual contact with County equipment will be repaired at the County’s expense. The mailbox owner is responsible for repair or replacement of the mailbox if the mailbox was damaged by the pressure of the plowed snow and there was no physical contact with the plow equipment.

B. As snow is plowed from roadways, windrows can be created at the end of driveways and are the property owner’s responsibility to clear. Residents are reminded that it is unlawful for them to plow or blow snow from driveways onto or across county roads.
C. Snow truck drivers are not responsible for salt or snow distributed from the snow fighting equipment.  Drivers are urged to stay 50 feet behind a snow truck, and to remove vehicles and property from the right-of-way to protect them from damage.  Residents must remove parked vehicles from county roads to assist in snow removal.

D. Drivers are also urged to give an oncoming snow truck right of way.  During the winter months, the berm or shoulder of the road is often too soft to support the weight of a loaded salt truck.  These drivers cannot move off of the road to let oncoming traffic pass on narrow roads.  If you see a salt truck approaching on a narrow road, please be courteous and pull off into the nearest driveway and let the snow truck pass.

The Clermont County Engineer’s Highway Maintenance Department makes every effort to protect and preserve the integrity of property owners’ mailboxes.  However, during periods of heavy snow accumulation, mailboxes are sometimes damaged as a result of winter maintenance. Property owners are encouraged to inspect their mailboxes/supports prior to the winter season each year and to replace deteriorated mailboxes/posts in an effort to ensure their durability.

If you live on a road maintained by the Clermont County Engineer, and the mailbox is actually struck by a snowplow, we will repair or replace the mailbox.  Mailboxes should be installed and maintained to withstand snow coming off the end of the plow. If damage occurs due to snow discharge, the county will not be responsible for repairs.

County staff investigates each complaint to determine if the mailbox was hit by a plow or other piece of equipment.  Mailboxes and/or supports that are damaged as a result of direct contact from our equipment will be repaired or replaced.  If replacement is necessary, a standard rural mailbox/support will be used.

Clermont County will not replace non-standard boxes, mailboxes with custom lettering, custom designing or larger than standard installations.

If no signs of impact are evident, the resident will be provided information about possible reasons for the problem. These may include inadequate construction or materials, needed maintenance (including rotten posts) or other sources of damage. Any other damages to property are handled on an individual basis and should be reported and documented immediately.