Making snow disappear

Thu, 02/26/2015 - 1:45pm

There’s more than one way to make the mountains of snow that have been accumulating over the past several weeks disappear.

We can wait for warm, sunny days, to melt it. We can wait for rain to wash it away — or we can dump it into the harbor.

That was the case on Feb. 25, a relatively warm, sunny day in Boothbay Harbor.

A Kabota, or large tractor, which is used for snow removal, was in the downtown parking lot next to the footbridge making what appeared to be a futile attempt at getting rid of the huge mounds of snow that have been plowed to the water’s edge.

Boothbay Harbor Town Manager Tom Woodin said that the town has retained a permit that allows for the disposal of snow into the harbor.

“It’s something many coastal towns do,” Woodin said. “We have the option of leaving the snow in the parking lot or dumping it into the harbor.”

Woodin said the permit costs the town $600 a year.