where do big cities like new york do with the snow they plow off the streets?

Question

i mean, i wouldnt think they would or could dump it into the river because of contamination in the snow, and its not like the have big fields to put it in

Answer 1

If a city is near water, the snow usually ends up in the water. Otherwise it is most often piled up in parks or empty lots. Snow is no more contaminated than rain runoff

Answer 2

During really big snowstorms, the Sanitation Dept. does dump the snow into the Hudson River. I remember working on the West Side during the big 95/96 winter blizzard and they had dumped so much snow in the Hudson, it looked like it had frozen over!

For smaller snow falls, they just plow it to the side and let it melt on the street.

Answer 3

They plow the snow into a pile and put the snow in a truck. In NYC they dump the snow in the river.

Answer 4

Just got back from New York. At first the plowed the snow to the side of the streets to make it somewhat clear for vehicles. They then pushed it over the street vents - you know, the ones that you see in movies that let out steam. Yesterday I saw plows pushing the snow back onto the roads for the cars, buses and taxis to turn it into slush. In a nut shell, they seem to let it melt and drain off to wherever it drains off to.

Answer 5

Most waterfront cities get their snow dumped off into the water...that is, if they dump at all. Most of it is just pushed off to the side and left there. When the city crews need to get rid of the snow on the sidewalks or the verge of the roads, they have slow moving "melters" that pick up the snow and feed it into hoppers that melt the snow and the water is expelled to run into the sewers. You see very few instance of snow being trucked away these days...

Answer 6

I do not know what people are talking about dumping the snow. There is no dumping, do you expect them to cart the snow off? do you know how long that would take? They just push it to the sides, salt the streets and let the snow piles melt. That is why there are still huge puddles in the streets at every corner. Where do people come up with the answers?!??!

Answer 7

This is the answer:

1. They push it the side where possible.

2. In areas that have to much snow or there's no room to push it, they put it into dump trucks where it's brought to a Dept. of Sanitation facility, melted (yes melted), processed to remove toxins, and the "clean" water is poured into the NYC drainage system.

Answer 8

I lived downtown Philadelphia for a couple years and they would put the snow in large dumptrucks and then dump it in the Delaware River. Its no more contaminated then normal rain water.

Answer 9

Usually they just push the snow to the sides of the street which is very inconvenient because peoples cars often get stuck and people have to shovel the snow all by themselves which isn't fair at all.

Answer 10

In NYC they often dump the snow into the hudson or the east river.