Removing snow across more than 1,078 miles of Harford County roadways and 1,246 neighborhoods involves collaboration and planning and costs the county about $400,000 every 24 hours.

Department of Public Works personnel prepped for the region’s first significant snowfall of the season Sunday into Monday by pre-treating county roads with salt brine as early as Friday.

On Sunday afternoon — just hours before snow started falling — public works, law enforcement, emergency services, volunteer fire companies, public utilities, community services and other departments were on a conference call to coordinate efforts and finalize plans.

The Harford County Department of Emergency Services, under the direction of the county executive, served as the lead coordinator and activated the county’s Emergency Operations Center, which brings county officials into one room to support emergency efforts.

Representatives from the major departments reported to the operations center around 11 p.m. Sunday night while county snowplow teams set out to treat roadways.

Snowplow operators cleared snow from 1,078 miles of county roadways — 688 miles are paved, 348 are tar and chip and 42 are dirt — and 1,246 neighborhoods through Monday night.

Harford County’s Public Information Officer Matt Button said equipment, salt and manpower for a 24-hour snow operation costs the county about $400,000.

Preparation for winter weather operations in Harford County begins as early as August during the creation of the county’s annual budget. The actual amount spent each year on snow removal varies depending on factors such as the number, duration, severity and types of storms. Storms with more ice require the county to spend more on salt. Storms of longer duration require additional overtime hours.

Each October, Department of Public Works snowplow operators go through snowplow driver simulator training to prepare for the winter months. Drivers also drive their entire route with a plow to identify potential obstacles and get route timing to assist the county in calculating possible overtime and manpower needs. Maintenance crews also inspect and make necessary repairs to trucks to ensure that all vehicles are ready and operational.

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