A Comprehensive Approach to Environmental Safety During Ice and Snow Drift Control

   Resolving the problem of snow control in urban areas is crucial for ensuring the comfort, safety, and functioning of the urban environment in winter. Key aspects of this problem include creating safe travel conditions, maintaining the operability of road and transport infrastructure, minimizing the environmental impacts of snow control, optimizing expended resources.

   Purpose: The objective of the work is to analyze and summarize existing materials to develop recommendations, the implementation of which will ensure a balance between the safety of people, urban infrastructure, and environmental protection in winter.

   Methodology/approach: To assess best practices and trends in effective snow control, scientific publications on means and methods of using devices and materials, the relevance of the legislative framework, and environmental impacts of their impact are reviewed. General (philosophical), general scientific, specific scientific, and specialized research methods are applied.

   Research findings: An analysis of the Russian and international experience in the snow control in urban environment is conducted, which meets the principles of the sustainable development of urban ecosystems. The main research areas for improving winter road and street maintenance as well as environmental consequences of storing contaminated snow and ice waste, are identified. The need is demonstrated for a systems approach to the joint activities of organizations responsible for ensuring environmental safety during ice and snow drift control in urban areas. Recommendations are given to the development of measures to manage an environmentally safe winter road and street maintenance system with economically feasible and environmentally sound disposal of ice and snow drift.

   Value: A comprehensive approach to minimizing the negative impact of ice and snow drift control is proposed, and current theoretical and practical directions for its implementation are characterized.

1. Lobkina, V.A., Gensiorovskii, Yu.V. Problems of Placing Snow Polygons in Urbanized Territories (the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk case study). Vestnik DVO RAN. 2012; (3): 97–102. EDN: QAWABZ (In Russian)

2. Primin, O.G., Pupyrev, E.I., Varyushina, G.P. A Systematic Solution to the Problems of Snow Removal and Disposal in Moscow. Vodosnabzhenie i sanitarnaya tekhnika. 2015; (4): 37–46. EDN: TMLCAP (In Russian)

3. Pas'ko, O.A., Zakharchenko, A.V. Soil and Vegetation Cover Degradation in Snow Polygons. Ekologiya i promyshlennost' Rossii. 2021; 25(11): 30–35. DOI: 10.18412/1816-0395-2021-11-30-35. EDN: PNLIRI (In Russian)

4. Kasimov, N.S., Kosheleva, N.E., Vlasov, D.V., Terskaya, E.V. Geochemistry of Snow Cover in the Eastern District of Moscow. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Ser. 5. Geografiya. 2012; (4): 14–24. (In Russian)

5. Lobkina, V.A., Gensiorovskii, Yu.V., Ukhova, N.N. Geoecological Issues Related to Areas Occupied by Snow Dumping Sites in Cities (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). Geoekologiya. Inzhenernaya geologiya, gidrogeologiya, geokriologiya. 2016; (6): 510–520. EDN: XDMUCJ (In Russian)

6. Mikhalev, M.V. Snow Landfills as Objects of Negative Impact on the Environment. PhD Thesis. 2021. 130 p. EDN: FWWKJE (In Russian)

7. Karpushko, M.O., Turkova, А.О. Influence of Climatic Conditions and Physical Characteristics of Snow on the Winter Maintenance of Highways Under Dense Snow Cover. Transport. Transportnye sooruzheniya. Ekologiya. 2017; (1): 46–57. DOI: 10.15593/24111678/2017.01.04. EDN: YKUZPZ (In Russian)

8. Semenova, M.I. Chemical Composition of Snow and its Disposal in Saint-Petersburg. In: Proc. Int. Sci. Conf. ‘Technogenic and Natural Safety’. Saratov, April 19–21, 2017. Pp. 332–335. EDN: YNSTTL (In Russian)

9. Bulygina, O.N., Korshunova, N.N., Razuvaev, V.N. Monitoring of Snow Cover on the Territory of the Russian Federation. Trudy Gidrometeorologicheskogo nauchno-issledovatel'skogo tsentra Rossiiskoi Federatsii. 2017; 366: 87–96. EDN: YOCOPM (In Russian)

10. Zharnikov, V.B., Pas'ko, O.A., Ushakova, N.S., Makartsova, E.S. Monitoring of Snow Dumps and Lands Affected by them in Northern Cities (the Tomsk case study). Vestnik SGUGiT. 2019; 24(1): 174–191. DOI: 10.33764/2411-1759-2019-24-1-174-191. EDN: ZCHEIH (In Russian)

11. Labuzova, O.M., Noskova, T.V., Lysenko, M.S., Ovcharenko, E.A., Papina, T.S. Snow Cover of Urban Territory as a Source of Anthropogenic Pollution of Surface Waters during Snowmelt. Printsipy ekologii. 2016; (4): 33–41. DOI: 10.15393/j1.art.2016.5203 (In Russian)

12. Lobkina, V.A., Muzychenko, A.A., Mikhalev, M.V. Dynamics of Geochemical State of Soils in Snow Polygons (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). Kriosfera Zemli. 2019; 23(4): 60–67. (In Russian)

13. Vashchuk, A.E. Optimization of Budget Expenditure of Financial Relations Participants in the Field of Housing and Communal Services. PhD Thesis, 2014. 180 p. (In Russian)

14. Sokolov, I.A., Filippova, I.N. Evaluation of Budget Expenditure Effectiveness on Housing and Communal Services in Russian Regions. Problemy prognozirovaniya. 2022; 4(193): 147–158. DOI: 10.47711/0868-6351-193-147-158. EDN: RLQEWA (In Russian)

15. Sambaeva, D., Izakov, J., Kemelov, K., Shaykieva, N., Maymekov, Z., Maymekov, T., Ukeleeva, A. The Impact of Road Salts on Groundwater and Estimation of the Chlorine Ions by Hydrogen Index. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. 2022; 31(2): 1327–1336. DOI: 10.15244/pjoes/141342. EDN: XUWEYD

16. Kuklev, A. Problems of Snow and Ice Removal in Urban Infrastructure in Winter. In: Proc. Regional Forum ‘Days of Science – 2024’, in 2 parts. Novosibirsk, April 08–26, 2024. Pp. 222–228. EDN: KSAIBQ (In Russian)

17. Deryusheva, N.L. Issues of Rationing of Snow Melting Points in Drainage Systems. Ekologiya urbanizirovannykh territorii. 2014; (1): 76–79. EDN: SGHSVT (In Russian)

18. Rudenko, A.S. The Nature of Snow Pollution in Tyumen. In: Proc. All-Russ. Sci. Conf. ‘Information as an Engine of Scientific Progress’. 2019. Pp. 146–148. EDN: BLNXTS (In Russian)

19. Danilov, V.P., Frolova, E.A., Kondakov, D.F., Sveshnikova, L.B. Physicochemical Analysis of the Development and Research of Deicing Reagents. Zhurnal neorganicheskoi khimii. 2019; 64(9): 984–987. EDN: FLWFUH (In Russian)

20. Tikhvinskaya, D.P., Garanina, Yu.I. Investigation of Deicing Reagent effect on Roads and Vehicles. Nauchnomu progressu – tvorchestvo molodykh. 2023; (2): 262–265. EDN: IHYBUQ (In Russian)

21. Borisov, V.A., Akinin, D.V., Gasilina, M.A., Romanova, A.R. Thermal Conductivity of Snow Cover and Physical Processes under the Influence of Temperature Gradient. Resources and Technology. 2023; 20(4): 45–73. DOI: 10.15393/j2.art.2023.7243 (In Russian)

22. Bratishcheva, A.A., Klimchuk, D.A. The Impact of Deicing Reagents on the Environment. In: Proc. Regional Forum ‘Science and Youth of the 21^st Century’, in 2 parts, Novosibirsk, November 18–28, 2024. 2025. Pp. 153–157. EDN: VDFLSR (In Russian)

23. Voronina, L.P., Flerchuk, V.L., Ponogaibo, K.E., Sbitnev, A.V., Abdelkader, M. Potential Risk and Effect of Chlorides on Seed Germination and Plant Seedling Development. Teoreticheskaya i prikladnaya ekologiya. 2024; (1): 156–165. DOI: 10.25750/1995-4301-2024-1-156-165. EDN: GWLVNX (In Russian)

24. Gerasimov, A.O., Chugunova, M.V. Influence of Pollution of Sod-podzolic Soil by Anti-icing Reagents of Higher Plants and Soil Microorganisms. Ekologiya i promyshlennost' Rossii. 2015; 19(4): 59–63. EDN: TMITRJ

25. Ryazantsev, D.S., Podgornyi, A.A., Pirogov, P.A. Deicing Reagents Based on Environmentally Friendly Materials. StudNet. 2020; 3(12): 1293–1306. (In Russian)

26. Achkeeva, M.V., Romanyuk, N.V., Avdyushkina, L.I., Frolova, E.A., Kondakov, D.F., Danilov, V.P., Khomyakov, D.M., Bykov, A.V. Anti-icing Reagents Based on Acetates and Chlorides of Magnesium and Sodium. Khimicheskaya tekhnologiya. 2013; 14(4): 193–198. EDN: PLLSDR (In Russian)

27. Frolova, E. A., Kondakov, D. F., Danilov, V. P. Deicing Properties of Compositions of Calcium Nitrate, Ethanol and Water at Temperatures Below Zero Degrees Celsius. Khimicheskaya tekhnologiya. 2023; 24(5): 162–169. EDN: JAJSGP (In Russian)